Dumped LIV Golf star discusses return as Graeme McDowell weighs in on comeback
Andy Ogletree has revealed he has held conversations with a group of LIV Golf teams, with the American star set to make his permanent return after initially being dumped from the circuit after just one event.
Ogletree has been the man to catch on the Asian Tour's International Series so far this year, and this is set to earn him a spot back on the LIV setup in 2024. The American heads to the Hong Kong Open this week having all-but confirmed his Saudi league comeback, and ahead of the event talked up his future.
Revealing he has already been in contact with some of LIV Golf's 12 teams, Ogletree said: "I've been in conversations with a couple of different teams, so, I'm trying to figure out which team fits best for me.
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"And my conversations have been more about which team I'm going to be on, not so much of the movement of everything. You know, it's a really exciting time for me, and it's going to be a really big decision for me going forward of which team that I want to be on.
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“Hopefully, I'll be on that team for a long time. I look at it like a college golf choice. Which team do you want to be on? Which team do you see yourself with and which team gives you the best chance of playing the best golf? It's super exciting. I've definitely been pretty busy the last couple of weeks, even though I'm trying to win a golf tournament.”
Andy Ogletree has impressed on the International Series (Getty Images)Ogletree is no stranger to the LIV setup having been invited to compete in the breakaway circuit's first ever event at Centurion Club in June 2022. Things did not go to the plan for the former U.S. Amateur champion though, after he finished dead-last across the three days, which saw him cut from the roster for future events.
Amid his impressive form in 2023, Ogletree has been acting as an injury reserve throughout the campaign alongside his commitments on the International Series. This time around he will have the season-long support of a team, and the American is more than aware of the importance of the decision ahead of him.
"You have to look at it from a massive lens, you have to look at how the team travels and how the team stays and what's provided from the team from a physio standpoint and a training standpoint," he said. "It's a big decision. And as much as I want to say that it's easy to just get focused on a golf tournament, it's not as easy as it seems sometimes. But I'm trying to do the best I can and just take it one day at a time and once I get on the course, try to shut everything else off.”
One man who has hailed the bounce back ability of Ogletree is fellow LIV star Graeme McDowell, who has backed him for more success, this time on the breakaway circuit.
Speaking to Mirror Sport, McDowell said: "He has had enough exposure to it [LIV Golf] this year and the couple of chances that he's had, he's taken it. I think he's going to do great next year. I spent a lot of time with him this week, probably got to know him probably more this week than I have. I like his attitude. He's a hard worker."
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