The former U.S. Amateur champion finished last at the inaugural LIV Golf event in 2022 but that opened the door to other playing opportunities.

The journey included thousands upon thousands of air miles and a good bit of ridicule, too.

This was never Andy Ogletree’s intended path, but it worked out pretty well for him as he has turned the tough times into a deal with the LIV Golf League and Phil Mickelson’s HyFlyers.

Ogletree, 25, the 2019 U.S. Amateur champion who played at Georgia Tech, earned a spot in the 2024 LIV Golf League because he won the Asian Tour’s International Series Order of Merit.

Andy Ogletree joins Phil Mickelson’s HyFlyers in LIV Golf, with teammates Cameron Tringale and Brendan Steele.

Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports

But due to Ogletree’s play in limited LIV Golf starts in 2023, the opportunity to play for LIV Golf was already afforded to him early, as he played in two events as a reserve and earned enough points to be in LIV’s “open zone” as a non-relegated player.

That allowed him to negotiate with LIV teams and not wait for the draft of players who made it through the Promotions event two weeks ago in Abu Dhabi.

“I started getting some phone calls and it was kind of like college recruiting all over again,” he said. “A few teams wanted to meet and I had conversations with some of the captains and it followed from there. Since LIV Golf owns the teams the final contract had to be approved and all of this was navigated over the last few weeks.

“I was in a fortunate situation being able to travel with LIV during the year. I was at every tournament as a reserve. I was seeing how every tournament works and the team dynamic and the support structure they put in place. I was able to ask a lot of questions and get opinions from different players. And I liked the way Phil went about things and to get that knowledge from one of the greatest of all time is an opportunity I couldn’t turn down.”

Ogletree said he spent a good bit of time practicing with Mickelson in recent weeks in Southern California and has gotten to know his other teammates, Brendan Steele and Cameron Tringale.

“Andy is one of the most impressive young players in the game who has earned his spot on LIV,” Mickelson said in a statement. “The work he has continued to put in and the resiliency he showed this past year in creating his own success was awesome to see. He makes the HyFlyers a contender next year and just as importantly, Andy fits in perfectly with everyone on the team.”

Although Ogletree did not go into details, the LIV team contracts can mean a yearly salary and bonuses. Travel expenses are typically picked up by the team. And then there are the $20 million weekly purses with $120,000 minimums each week. Ogletree, with any level of success, stands to make in access of $2 million in 2024.

And that’s a long way from where he was 18 months ago, when he finished last at the first LIV Golf event in London, was not invited back to any events, and was suspended from the PGA Tour for competing.

Although Ogletree had Korn Ferry Tour status, he wasn’t getting into any events. And with the suspension, it meant he wasn’t allowed to Monday qualify or even attend the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament in 2022.

But just that one LIV start opened a door to the Asian Tour. LIV Golf gave him exemptions and it paid off when he won the International Series Egypt event in late 2022. Fully exempt this past year, Ogletree played in 10 International Series events, winning twice and earning more than $1.1 million, nearly double the amount of the second-place finisher.

He also captured the Asian Tour Order of Merit and has an exemption there for several years, if that is something he chooses to do in addition to LIV Golf.

“It’s been a whirlwind from a travel standpoint,” said Ogletree, who lives in Atlanta and played in 16 events this year but also attended 12 LIV events in which he did not play. “All the places that I’ve been. It’s been a crazy year and a half.

“Looking back, the biggest reason for playing the event in London … I got full Asian Tour status for the last year but playing in that event. At the time, I didn’t have any guaranteed tournaments to play. So I knew I was playing and where I was playing. The travel schedule was crazy, but if I could play tournaments that mattered I knew was going to gain from those experiences and get better at golf.

“That was my whole goal with going to the Asian Tour. At the time, I didn’t have any opportunities. It’s been great learning experience that has allowed me to gain more confidence.”