OGLETREE WINS INTERNATIONAL SERIES QATAR, LEADS ORDER OF MERIT

With the victory, Ogletree now moves atop the International Series Order of Merit. The Order of Merit leader at the end of the 10-tournament schedule in 2023 will automatically earn playing privileges in the 2024 LIV Golf League.

The Qatar tournament was the second on the International Series schedule this season. Japan’s Takumi Kanaya won last week’s event in Oman.

The International Series is a set of elevated events on the Asian Tour and supported by LIV Golf, offering a pathway to claiming a roster spot on one of the 12 teams in the LIV Golf League. Last year’s International Series Order of Merit winner, Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent, will be playing in the 2023 LIV Golf League that starts this week in Mayakoba.

The International Series held seven events in 2022. Ogletree, the 2019 U.S. Amateur champ, won the International Series Egypt tournament in November and finished ninth in the Order of Merit standings behind Vincent.

The American started the day with a five-shot lead and was never really challenged, when for the fourth day in a row strong wind were unrelenting.

At the turn, Ogletree’s lead was six and while a double bogey on hole 10, where he was unable to get up and down after an errant second shot went long and left, briefly offered some hope to his pursuers, he proceeded to steady the ship with seven pars and a birdie on the last to finish at 7 under.

“I think it just comes from all the work that I’ve put in,” said Ogletree, who won $450,000.

“I’ve worked really hard this offseason post-Egypt, and just have a lot of confidence because I work so hard. I don’t think anyone wants it more than me. I want to keep giving myself more opportunities and this is the route that I can do that. So, I’m really focused, and trying to win the Order of Merit out here is my No. 1 goal this year, and that’s all I’m really focused on. And you got to win to do that, so this feels great.”

Ogletree moved to the top of the Asian Tour Order of Merit (OOM) and International Series OOM thanks to an outstanding start to the season. He finished ninth in the season-opening PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers and tied for seventh in last week’s International Series Oman.

“I mean, confidence-wise, I don’t know how I could get a lot higher. My last five starts internationally, four top-10s and two wins, so I think I’m playing really good golf,” he said.

“I’m executing my game plan really well and kind of eliminating some of the silly mistakes. I had a couple today, but throughout the week this week it was really good tee to green.

“Eliminating three putts, eliminating short-sided iron shots, eliminating bogeys with wedges and eliminating bogeys on par fives is just kind of the goal. So that’s how I define how I’m playing, if I’m doing those things, and I’ve done that really well the last few weeks.”

It’s all a far cry for a player who, hindered by a hip injury, struggled to make an impact when he turned professional in 2020 following a stellar amateur career.

The former Georgia Tech college golf star reached the pinnacle of the amateur game in 2019 when he won the U.S. Amateur, and that same year was part of the victorious United States team at the Walker Cup.

“Obviously, just being able to play pain free is awesome,” said Ogletree, who played in the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational Series tournament in London last year. “I’ve had a really good run the past few months, my body has felt great. I’ve never lost my confidence mentally. But now that I’m getting some reassurance from my body, it’s gaining even more confidence. So super-pleased to be champion here. It’s unbelievable.

“What a great test we had this week. It was really hard. The course got really firm and fast, there was so much wind. I grew up playing in no wind, so super proud to win a golf tournament in wind like this.”