INTERNATIONAL SERIES STAR OGLETREE ENTERING ORLANDO WITH PLENTY OF CONFIDENCE

The Ogletree of June 2022 was still working back from hip surgery and was nowhere near competitive shape, either physically or mentally. It showed on the final leaderboard.

This week’s Ogletree comes into Orange County National having won two of his last six worldwide starts. Both of those victories came in International Series events on the Asian Tour – Egypt last November and Qatar in mid-February. He currently leads the International Series Order of Merit through three events.

He’s healthy and in form. No surprise he enters Friday’s first round full of confidence as a reserve player for Crushers GC. The 2018 U.S. Amateur champ is filling in for regular member Anirban Lahiri, who is out for personal reasons.

“The last time I played out here, I had taken a few months to try to get my body ready, and I wasn’t to the point where I felt super comfortable with everything,” Ogletree said, reflecting on last year. “I was still working on a lot of stuff coming back from hip surgery. Obviously it was great to get a start out here in London, but I didn’t feel like my game was ready or my body was ready as well.

“Now that I feel good and I’ve been playing well and have a lot of confidence coming in, I look forward to testing my game against these guys again.”

Not having the veteran Lahiri will be a challenging hole to fill, but Crushers GC Captain Bryson DeChambeau realizes his team is fortunate to have a replacement player in such good form.

“In most team sports, when you have a sub, it’s like, ‘Oh, man, we’re down a player,’” DeChambeau said. “But he’s playing great golf. He’s really progressing with his game and I’m happy to see it. He’s a great guy.”

Certainly, Ogletree’s progress in the last nine months is worth celebrating.

After finishing last in the 48-player field in London, he left the Centurion Club that week wondering about his future playing opportunities. It came in the form of the International Series, the elevated series of tournaments on the Asian Tour supported by LIV Golf.

Two months after London, he played the International Series Singapore, making the cut and finishing T57. The next week in Korea, he shot a third-round 64 and eventually finished T15, another step in the right direction.

He followed a missed cut in Morocco by winning the next week in Egypt, shooting four rounds of 66 or better – including a final-round 62 – to win by four shots. His closest competitor was current LIV Golf member Bernd Wiesberger.

Not only was it Ogletree’s first professional victory, he also enjoyed being a tourist that week, including a visit to the pyramids. “My first trip to Egypt is one that I’ll never forget,” he said that Sunday night after his win.

He entered the offseason determined to refine his game and his conditioning, spending significant time with swing coach Tony Ruggiero of the Dewsweeper Performance Team in Florida.

“We just figured out a few things that we’ve kind of been working on for a while,” Ogletree said. “Now that I feel healthy, I’m actually able to do them. I’m getting a little deeper into my right hip and I’m able to get out of that side, and that’s taken a lot of stress off my back.

“Just small things but over the course of six, seven months working on it, it’s gotten a lot better.”

Indeed. The 2023 season is also starting out to be memorable for the 24-year-old from Mississippi.

He opened the year with a solo ninth at the PIF Saudi International powered by Softbank Investment Advisers, again going low in the final round with a 63. It was a stacked field – he finished ahead of 36 golfers he’ll be facing this week in Orlando.

After a tie for seventh in the year’s first International Series event in Oman, he won in Oatar under tough scoring conditions due to strong winds each day. His third-round 66 was the low score of the tournament and allowed him to take a five-shot lead going into the final day.

He became the first player to win two International Series events, and he moved to the top of the Order of Merit leaderboard. The player who tops the International Series OOM at the end of the 10-tournament schedule this year earns full-season playing privileges in the 2024 LIV Golf League.

Ogletree will play all 10 tournaments this year while also fitting in additional starts on the Asian Tour.

“It’s just been been great. For me to have somewhere to play and tournaments that matter and tournaments that I can use to get better, it’s huge for me,” Ogletree said of the Asian Tour events. “Obviously to play the way I’ve been playing is great, but for me, it’s just more about getting reps and learning.

“Even though I’ve been a pro for a couple of years now, I haven’t played a ton of golf. So just getting in a routine of playing tournaments and figuring out how to manage the week and how to go about it has been really good.”

Ogletree also wants to keep his LIV Golf League options open this season as a reserve player for the weeks he’s available. Thus, he appreciates the opportunities afforded him this week in Orlando.

His primary motivation, though, is to earn a full-time spot in LIV Golf for next year.

“The ultimate goal is to win every week you tee it up. So if you win the Order of Merit, you had a good year,” he said. “Obviously, when these opportunities come around, it’s great, but my main focus right now is the International Series.”