Andy Ogletree failed to seal a spot inside the top 20 at the Hong Kong Open. But still, the 25-year-old made it into the headlines more than Cameron Smith, who finished at the second spot, or even Ben Campbell who did clinch the title. The reason was that Ogletree became the first player to qualify for the next season of LIV Golf. However, the story was totally opposite only a year ago.

After getting banned from the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour, courtesy of participating in LIV Golf London, Ogleetee soon found himself in limbo. Though he participated in the inaugural event, the crashlanding of Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, and Bryson DeChambeau, relegated him to the background. Soon, falling out of favor with both Jay Monahan and Greg Norman, the young golfer found himself battling for a spot in the Asian Tour’s International Series. The story couldn’t be more thrilling since.

The twisted fate of Andy Ogletree

Let’s go back a few years. Ogletree made quite the name for himself when he won the US Amateur in 2019. The Georgia Tech product soon entered the first phase of his professional career. The initial outings didn’t exactly pan out the way he would have hoped. After a 46th finish at his PGA Tour debut at Mayakoba, he missed the cut in his first three events. 

But the US Amateur victory opened the doors of Augusta and Torey Pines for the budding star. An opportunity that gave him the chance to tee off with Tiger Woods on the greens. Unfortunately, hip surgery in 2021 barred him from taking part in both. 

Then LIV Golf came crashing onto the Atlantic shores and Andy Ogletree joined the bandwagon of players at the inaugural event in London. PGAT was quick to slap him with a ban from playing at any tour-sanctioned events. 

However, the Saudi-funded league soon recruited bigger names from the PGA Tour. A few weeks later, Ogletree was out of the 48-player roster of the breakaway circuit. This year, he made only three appearances in the LIV Golf as a reserve player. 

However, the 25-year-old golfer was not the one to lose hope. Betting against all odds, Andy Ogletree leveraged the opportunity that the Asian Tour’s International Series offered. Three wins this season comfortably put him ahead of others in the Order of the Merit Race.

Asian Tour offered Ogletree a shot at redemption

Andy Ogletree’s 22nd spot finish at the Hong Kong Open didn’t bar him from sealing the Order of Merit at the Asian Tour’s International Series. Notably, the series is backed by Asian Tour with a $300 million fund from the Public Investment Fund, which bankrolls Greg Norman’s fledgling league. 

Ogletree will be one of the four players qualifying for the next season’s event. The other three players will come from the Promotions tournament, in which the likes of Chase Koepka will also participate.

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Interestingly, PGA Tour insider revealed that the tour won’t bar any of its players from lining up at the Promotions event. This means Ogletree can be joined by his former PGA Tour peers next year.

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