The sporting world this year was teeming with excitement and anticipation as Phil Mickelson’s fans had an unusually high expectation for the year. They were thoroughly looking forward to seeing his team, HyFlyers GC, flourish and come into its own. This anticipation was stirred at the beginning of the year when there were whispers of a change in the status quo. The star of LIV Golf, Phil Mickelson, decided to infuse new life into his team with the addition of the energetic and youthful Andy Ogletree. This sparked an incredible wave of hope and expectation among the supporters of HyFlyers GC. Mickelson held Andy in high regards, stating that Andy is marked as one of the most amazing young players in the game who has fairly earned his spot on LIV.
However, as the season wrapped up and all the action of the adrenaline-pumping games ended, the performance of the young prodigy came under the scanner. Indeed, the young Ogletree’s performance as a HyFlyers GC team member was not as groundbreaking as expected. This indeed raised questions about his prowess.
Andy, however, did contribute to the teams performance but was held back due to one major obstacle an injury. Post a dissatisfactory debut at the Open Championship mid-year, a match where he scored a disheartening 6-over 77 at Royal Troon, he revealed, The wrist, Ive been battling with it all year, highlighting a reason that might have hindered his performance. Yet, there seems to be a silver lining around.
Where Ogletree has been engaging with his followers and fans through Instagram posts, sharing his journey, he recently posted an upbeat picture. The Instagram post, accompanied by positive words from him, read that he had undergone a procedure to rectify his wrist injury. Ogletree shared, Today I underwent a wrist procedure to alleviate the pain Ive been experiencing for a long time. A big thank you to Dr. Gary Lourie and his staff for their exceptional work. I am keen on returning to the golf course to prep for next season. Thanks to everyone for the well wishes. It indicated his readiness to come back stronger and fiercer for the next season.
The timing of the surgery comes as a relief given that LIV’s season has drawn to a close and the golfers are not required to report back for a few months. Thus, neither HyFlyers GC nor Ogletree himself will have to cope with severe repercussions during his recovery time. This move of getting the procedure done now by Ogletree can indeed be seen as a well-calculated and strategic move by him. However, a looming question remains: Was Ogletree the only cause of the HyFlyers downfall?
HyFlyers GC’s performance this year was undeniably challenging. Despite having a captain who’s a six-time major winner, the team seemed to be wrestling ups and downs throughout the year. The entire year brought about a series of disappointments for the team as they struggled to secure a victory, an unfortunate circumstance which translated to the team not managing a single win this entire season. They ended up finishing outside the points in eight out of 13 regular-season matches.
However, amidst these hurdles, the HyFlyers managed to cause a massive upset in the Team Championship quarterfinals by overpowering the higher-seeded Torque GC (5th seed) with a 2-1 win. However, this short-lived triumph was immediately overshadowed by their loss to Legion Xlll in the semifinals, which saw them deal with another 2-1 defeat.
Finally, the HyFlyers clawed their way to a T-7th finish in the Tier 2 finals. This placing can be considered respectable, but certainly, falls short in terms of being remarkable. In light of the events of this season, and as the HyFlyers prepare for the next one, it is evident that they need to bring every ounce of their focus and efforts to the game to claim victory.
