Ogletree, the 2019 US Amateur champion, will make his third appearance of the 2023 LIV Golf League season and second for the Crushers. He filled in for Anirban Lahiri in Orlando and shot even-par for the three rounds, with two of his scores counting for the team. He finished 43rd on the points leaderboard that week.

In the most recent LIV tournament in Tulsa, Ogletree replaced Majesticks co-captain Lee Westwood for the final round and shot an eight-under 62 for the team. The 62 is one stroke off the LIV-record low score for a single round.

Ogletree currently tops the International Series Order of Merit standings through four events on the Asian Tour. The leader at the end of the 10-event series in 2023 earns full-season playing privileges as a regular member for the 2024 LIV Golf League season.

“He played well last event in Tulsa, he shot eight-under. It’s kind of hard not to pick him,” Crushers captain Bryson DeChambeau said. “I’m looking forward to some more good scores out of him. He’s a great kid, great player. I love having him on the team, and he’ll be a tremendous asset.”

Reserve player Andy Ogletree to replace Paul Casey (injury) in @Crushers_gc lineup for #LIVGolf DC pic.twitter.com/PydyhsZp5r

— LIVGolfComms (@LIVGolfComms) May 24, 2023

Casey withdrew due to lingering foot issues that also forced him to miss last week’s PGA Championship. He’s currently 27th in the Individual Champion standings and has not posted a top-24 points finish since his fourth-place result in the season opener at Mayakoba when the Crushers won their first team title.

“His feet have been hurting him a little bit, and then ultimately just got to his body,” DeChambeau said of Casey. “He’s in a place where he’s recovering, and he’ll be good in a couple weeks he told me, so no issues with that.

“That’s what we’re here to do, we’re here to support him whatever his decision is to make sure his health is 100 per cent. We need him 100 per cent. He’s a great golfer, great player, and for this team and LIV Golf, we need him playing at his best and healthy.”

Since Ogletree will be playing all three rounds at Trump National Washington, DC, his score will count on both the team and individual leaderboards.

The post Andy Ogletree steps in for a shot at LIV Golf DC glory as Paul Casey withdraws appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

As we reach the halfway point of the 2023 LIV Golf League season. The broadcast team once again have made their picks — both individual and team — for the win. Last time out, Troy Mullins once again widened the gap at the top from Su-Ann Heng, while the boys had a stinker. Who will come out on top in DC?
Experts listed in order of latest standings.

TROY MULLINS

INDIVIDUAL
Bryson DeChambeau I’m so torn. I could see a Bryson DeChambeau or Peter Uihlein win here. I think Peter is so consistent, but I’d love to see a Bryson win here. He’s been playing really well in recent weeks. It’s a long 7,700-yard course so it’s going to be someone that is long but also strong on approach shots.
TEAM
4 Aces I’m tempted to choose another team, but when I chose the Stingers I was one event too early. I’m sticking with my guys again. This style of course could really suit any of the teams, but I think we may see a battle at the top. I predict points will be close again.

SU-ANN HENG

INDIVIDUAL
Cameron Smith He’s been playing great, he’s due.
TEAM
4 Aces This is a big course, I think it will favor the combination of this team. Plus. It’s the 4 Aces!

ARLO WHITE

INDIVIDUAL
Bryson DeChambeau I’m going out on a limb here. His game has clicked once more, he’s been challenging in the LIV Golf League and impressively at the PGA, so there is no better place than the nation’s capital to convert that recent form into his first LIV win.
TEAM
4 Aces It’s Washington DC. They are an all-American LIV Golf dynasty. Stinger and the RangeGoats have rounded into form, but it’s hard to pick against DJ’s boys in DC.

DAVID FEHERTY

INDIVIDUAL
Harold Varner III He’s been rounding into form.
TEAM
RangeGoats because, well, you know …

DOM BOULET

INDIVIDUAL
Matthew Wolff This is a big boys golf course and he hits it big and pure. Also, he should be motivated by his captain’s win last week.
TEAM
4 Aces Tough to go against them.

JERRY FOLTZ

INDIVIDUAL
Charles Howell III He’s been a model of consistency since joining the league and even though he’s not known as a links-style specialist, I like a pure ball-strikers’ chances this week.
TEAM
HyFlyers Phil has a talented group of players who desperately don’t want to let their soon-to-be 53-year-old captain beat them.

HOW THEY STAND

Here are the standings for our LIV Golf Experts after LIV Golf Tulsa. Each prediction received the individual and team points awarded to their respective picks.
EXPERT OVERALL POINTS, LAST EVENT
Mullins 180, Smith 30, 4 Aces 24
Heng 127, B Koepka 14, 4 Aces 24
White 115, Mickelson 0, 4 Aces 24
Feherty 113, Gooch 0, RangeGoats 16
Boulet 106, Uihlein 0, RangeGoats 16
Foltz 90, Gooch 0, Smash 8

The post LIV Golf DC: The experts make their latest predictions appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

After winning his fifth major last weekend, Smash captain Brooks Koepka will return to work on Friday.

The new PGA champion will be playing alongside two other LIV Golf members with major pedigrees — reigning Open champion Cameron Smith (Ripper) and two-time major winner Dustin Johnson (4 Aces).

It will be the first time at a LIV Golf tournament that those three captains have all played in the same group. The featured trio will tee off No. 1 in the shotgun start at 1.15pm local time (9.15pm UAE) at Trump National Golf Course, Washington, DC.

Since joining LIV Golf for the first US-based tournament in Portland last year, Koepka has been paired with Johnson twice and with Smith three times. Smith, who joined midway through the season, has been paired with Johnson six times, including the final round of the Team Championship in Miami.

But they’ve never filled out an entire threesome until this week.

Cumulatively, they’ve won eight majors, with Koepka winning his third PGA Championship last week at Oak Hill. It was the first major won by any LIV golfer. All three players will participate in the next major, the US Open at Los Angeles Country Club, June 15-18.

In addition to their major success, the three also are accustomed to lifting LIV trophies. Koepka became LIV’s first two-time individual winner with his win earlier this season in Orlando. Johnson’s win two weeks ago in Tulsa also made him a two-time winner. Smith won last year in Chicago in his second LIV start.

In addition to the Team Championship, Johnson’s 4 Aces have won five regular-season team titles, while Koepka’s Smash won the regular-season finale last year in Jeddah.

Notes from DC

The trio of Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Reed and Mito Pereira off the No. 2 tee includes high finishers from last week’s PGA Championship. DeChambeau, the Crushers captain, tied for fourth, while Reed (4 Aces) and Pereira (Torque) tied for 18th.

Another all-captains group includes HyFlyers’s Phil Mickelson, RangeGoats’ Bubba Watson and Henrik Stenson, one of three Majesticks co-captains. The threesome will start on hole No. 3.

Reserve player Andy Ogletree, who is filling in for injured Crushers veteran Paul Casey, is grouped with Scott Vincent (Iron Heads) and Jason Kokrak (Smash). Ogletree is the current International Series Order of Merit leader; Vincent was the Order of Merit winner last year, which earned him playing privileges for the full season in this year’s LIV Golf League.

The post Koepka, Cam Smith and DJ paired for first round of LIV Golf DC — all your tee-times and groups appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.