As the breakaway league gets ready for its second full season, the LIV Golf setup has welcomed its newest recruit, after relegating four players after the end of the 2023 season.
Prior to their second full season in 2024, LIV Golf announced the signing of Andy Ogletree, a former U.S. Amateur champion.
Ogletree’s spot in LIV was officially confirmed on Sunday. The American’s tie for 15th place finish at the Hong Kong Open earned him the title of Asian Tour’s International Series champion. One of the four spots on the Saudi-backed circuit that Ogletree has taken up is vacant following the demotion of Chase Koepka, Sihwan Kim, James Piot, and Jediah Morgan last month.
The 25-year-old is familiar with the LIV Golf setup, having participated in the inaugural tournament of the breakaway league held in June 2022 at the Centurion Club in St Albans.
The 48-man field saw the U.S. Amateur winner finish dead last, and he was later removed from the roster for the remainder of the season, making it a forgettable week for him. Despite refocusing on the International Series this year, Ogletree has recovered quite well.
The Georgia Tech alumnus has triumphed three times in the last year on the 10-event Asian Tour, taking home titles in Egypt, Qatar, and England. In 2023, he was temporarily called up to LIV due to his impressive form, and he participated in several events as an injury reserve.
But as of right now, the American has secured a spot on the squad through 2024, and he is eager to take on the challenge. It’s fantastic! “Winning the Order of Merit excites me so much,” he declared. This year has been really demanding, and a lot of excellent golf has gone into it.
“I just want to express my gratitude to everyone who has helped me get here, especially my home team for supporting me and the Asian Tour for all of their efforts. I’m ecstatic and eager to play LIV the following year.”
With a £16.3 million purse at stake at every event this season, the 25-year-old’syearwith the LIV setup will undoubtedly prove to be a life-changing one. But he has promised to go back to the tour that helped him secure a position on the massively lucrative roster.
“It should be a great year and I just can’t wait to get started,” Ogletree continued. “I’ll definitely play a few events on The International Series along with all the LIV events that I’m going to play.” The American acknowledged earlier this week that, prior to his return, he had already communicated with a number of LIV teams.
One man who has backed the rising star to impress on the Saudi-backed circuit second time around is fellow LIV star Graeme McDowell. Speaking exclusively to Mirror Sport, McDowell said: “He has had enough exposure to it [LIV Golf] this year and the couple of chances that he’s had, he’s taken it.
“I think he’s going to do great next year. I spent a lot of time with him this week, probably got to know him probably more this week than I have. I like his attitude. He’s a hard worker.”
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