US golfer Andy Ogletree fired a bogey-free 6-under 65 on Saturday to carry a two-shot lead on 12 under into the final round of LIV Golf UK by JCB in Rocester, with England’s Tyrrell Hatton and Cameron Smith of Australia sharing second place on 10 under 132 at the JCB Golf and Country Club.

In the team event, Brooks Koepka’s Smash GC and Legion XIII of Jon Rahm shared a four-shot lead on 21 under ahead of Ogletree’s HyFlyers GC, Smith’s Stinger GC and Torque GC. Defending champions Crushers GC (Bryson DeChambeau, Anirban Lahiri, Paul Casey and John Catlin) were a shot behind the three in tied sixth place alongside Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs on 16 under totals.

Ogletree played the very first LIV Golf event in London two years ago and did not fate too well, hobbled as he was with hip and back injuries and finished in last place. This week, he has engineered a complete about face and is 18 holes away from a critical win and some long-awaited redemption.

“I don’t know exactly what it will mean. We’ll see. But for now, just focus on tomorrow, focus on taking care of the things that I can control, and we’ll go from there,” said Ogletree, who joined Phil Mickelson’s HyFlyers having earned promotion into LIV Golf as the 2023 Asian Tour’s International Series champion. “It’s been a crazy road.
“I think I’ll be nervous, but I’ll look forward to that,” he added. “I’ll run towards that pressure and embrace it, and I think everyone is going to be nervous coming down the stretch. Whatever happens, I’ll accept it and learn from it and move on.”

Smith is hoping to follow up on his LIV Golf London title from last year at the Centurion Club while consistent Legion XIII stalwart Tyrrell Hatton who recently won his first LIV Golf title in Nashville will be keen to add more silverware for himself and the team/ The two are on 10 under, but neither seemed completely pleased with their second round 5-under 66s.
“Probably the most disappointing 5-under I think I’ve ever had,” said Smith, a three-time LIV Golf winner, who had eight birdies on the day. “Was feeling really nice until a couple of loose swings.”

Hatton was bogey-free on Saturday and missed just two greens in regulation. But his putter was cold for the front nine. “Played some really nice golf and just felt like I was putting to thin air,” Hatton said on livgolf.com later. “Didn’t feel like there was actually a hole out there. It took until the 10th hole for a putt to drop.”

Meanwhile, Ripper GC’s Marc Leishman withdrew prior to Saturday’s second round after suffering appendicitis the previous evening with reserve player Wade Ormsby filling his spot for the final two rounds. Leishman, who started with a 2-under 69 on Friday, had to be rushed to the hospital later that night and eventually required surgery to remove his appendix.

In an Instagram post on Saturday morning from the hospital, Leishman said: “Disappointed to have to WD this week but health always comes first. I came to England with an appendix and will leave without it! Appendicitis is no joke.”

Ripper Captain Cam Smith said he hoped Leishman could recover in time for the next LIV Golf event in Greenbrier. “It was a massive shock, really,” Smith said. “I played with him yesterday. He mentioned something to me early in the morning at breakfast that he might have just had a bit of a belly ache from dinner the night before, and that was kind of the last I heard of it. He played well. He struck it well, putted well, did everything good. Didn’t complain once.”

Smith and Hatton are in the final group Sunday with Ogletree, but seven others lurk within five shots of the lead, including Rahm and Crushers’ Casey, who were tied for fourth; 2023 individual champion Talor Gooch in T6 alongside Stinger GC Captain Louis Oosthuizen; and Brooks Koepka, who was tied for eighth with Matthew Wolff and Peter Uihlein of the RangeGoats.

An individual highlight of the day came from another reserve player, John Catlin of the Crushers who is subbing for the injured Charles Howell III. On the island green 17th hole, the American saw his tee shot roll into the cup for his second career hole-in-one in competition play. 

“This was special. It was pretty cool, especially having that big, grandstand behind us and everyone going nuts. I went nuts as well,” said Catlin, 33 and playing his fourth tournament for the injured Howell. “With all those guys out there in the stands, I enjoyed that one too. It kind of egged them on. And that’s what we are trying to do …entertain the fans,” added the current International Series points leader.