‘Who?!?!?’: Golf Fans Left in Doubt After LIV Golf Defector’s Injury Forces Rare Replacement Rule at LIV Golf Tulsa

The LIV Golf Series is unique in many ways. One of its crucial USPs is the backing of its team structure, which transforms a solitary sport such as golf into a team aspect.

But there remains a major issue regarding the team format, where an unexpected withdrawal can churn up a messy situation for the whole team. An account of the same trouble occurred in the recent LIV Tulsa event, where English LIV Golf star was forced to withdraw, which threw young golfer Andy Ogletree into action.

LIV Golfer’s agony in withdrawal

LIV Golf’s latest event at Tulsa shaped up as the perfect platform before next week’s second major, the PGA Championship. However, what could have been a springboard turned into a nightmare for veteran golfer Lee Westwood, who suffered an injury midway through the event.

Read More: Despite His US Open Woes, Talor Gooch and Two Other Oklahoma Alums Reign Supreme in LIV Golf’s Latest Standings

After shooting twin rounds of 69 on the par-70 course, the 50-year-old was unable to continue for the final round after suffering an injury. While the full extent of the setback wasn’t revealed, it was enough to keep him out of Sunday’s all-important final round.

As the leader of his team, Magesticks GC, Westwood’s absence undoubtedly hurt the team. However, the loss of a player itself is damaging to the team structure, where the scores of three players will be counted for the last round.

It meant each of the remaining Magesticks players would have his score cumulated for the team’s total at the end of Sunday. However, that wasn’t the case, not with the use of a traveling reserve.

Who replaced Lee Westwood for Sunday’s showdown?

Golf has its own substitute rule, thanks to LIV Golf. The cash-rich league has prepared solutions for withdrawal issues with a set of reserve players, one of whom was in action.

As the Magesticks’ official Twitter handle claimed, 25-year-old Andy Ogletree was at the Cedar Ridge Country Club to take the place of their injured captain. Inadvertently, he was a Magesticks player. Well, at least for a round of LIV Golf!

Fans were quick to wrap their heads around the traveling reserve rule. Here’s a selection of such tweets:

While the young Ogletree doesn’t have a lot on his CV to show, he remains one of the most talented golfers around. His big break came in 2019, when he won the year’s US Amateur, following which he turned professional.

Watch This Story | Days After LIV Golf Makes a Mega 6-Year Announcement, PGA Tour Replies Back With a Major Top Management Reshuffle