Andy Ogletree plans to concentrate on elements within his control after a remarkable second round at the JCB Golf & Country Club in England, where he secured the lead in the $25 million 54-hole LIV Golf UK with 18 holes remaining. The former US Amateur champion delivered a bogey-free, six under par 65, bringing his total score to 12 under-par, leading by two shots from Britain’s Tyrrell Hatton, a four-time Rolex Series title winner on the DP World Tour. Ogletree, 26, plays for the HyFlyers GC, led by Phil Mickelson, and earned his spot in the 2024 LIV Golf season by winning the 2023 Asian Tour Order of Merit International Series.

Following his back-to-back 65s at the JCB Golf & Country Club, Ogletree remarked, “It marks the end of a long journey. It’s been an unpredictable path from the first event here to the Asian Tour, and then finding my way back.” He continued, “I haven’t had the season I envisioned, but there were some strong performances and promising moments. It’s about consistently playing 18 solid holes.” Ogletree noted, “I’ve often had 13, 14, 15 good holes in many tournaments, but a few have held me back. This week, I’ve maintained momentum and kept pushing forward.” He added, “My putter feels excellent, and my driving is solid here. I’m not sure what a win would mean, but for now, I’m focusing on managing what I can control, and we’ll see where that takes us.”

Ogletree claimed his first professional victory at the 2022 International Series – Qatar, and his 2023 Asian Tour season included wins in the International Series Egypt and the International Series England, held at Close House over the Colt Course. He secured the latter title by seven shots ahead of Ian Poulter and Dubai-based Anirban Lahiri, who trailed by one more shot. Ogletree has faced challenges this season, ranking 38th in the individual standings, with a tied third place in Adelaide as his best result. He has adjusted his swing this season due to a left wrist injury. A win would propel him into the top 24 Lock Zone with only two regular-season tournaments left. The shot of the day was by John Catlin (US), who scored a hole-in-one on the par 3, 17th hole at 244 yards, downhill to an island green, using a seven iron. Catlin currently tops the 2024 Asian Tour Order of Merit International Series and is playing this week as a substitute for the injured Charles Howell III on the Crushers GC. This marks the seventh ace in LIV Golf history and the fourth this season. On the team front, Smash GC and Legion XIII lead by four shots over Ogletree’s HyFlyers GC, Stinger GC, and Torque GC. The top three scores from each team count in the first two rounds, with all four scores counting in the final round. The team with the lowest cumulative score after three rounds claims the team title.

Leading Second Round Scores
Teams (Par 71, 7,243 Yards)
SMASH GC -21 (Gooch 66, Koepka 68, Kokrak 69; Rd. 2 score: -10)
LEGION XIII -21 (Hatton 66, Surratt 68, Rahm 70; Rd. 2 score: -9)
TORQUE GC -17 (Niemann 67, Ortiz 67, Muñoz 68; Rd. 2 score: -11)
STINGER GC -17 (Oosthuizen 67, Schwartzel 67, Grace 70; Rd. 2 score: -9)
HYFLYERS GC -17 (Ogletree 65, Tringale 70, Mickelson 72; Rd. 2 score: -6)
Individual
Andy Ogletree -12
Tyrrell Hatton -10
Cameron Smith -10
Paul Casey -9
Jon Rahm -9