LIV Golf Greenbrier Preview: HyFlyers GC looks to tap into previous success at Greenbrier
Team: HyFlyers Golf Club
Previous event team finish: T7 at LIV Golf UK
Season-long team standings: 12th
Top finisher from previous event: Andy Ogletree, Cameron Tringale (both finished T6)
Fun stat: The T6 finishes by Andy Ogletree and Cameron Tringale at LIV Golf UK was the first time this season two HyFlyers finished in the top 10 in the same tournament.
Preview
Sometimes returning to a venue where you’ve experienced success is the perfect cure for a professional golfer looking to bounce back. So, consider this an ideal week at LIV Golf Greenbrier for members of HyFlyers Golf Club.
The team has experienced plenty of challenges in 2024, and even though there have been signs of breaking out, it hasn’t completely come together. But all is not lost even though only three events remain before a team champion is crowned in Texas.
HyFlyers GC sits 12th in the team standings and is mathematically eliminated from challenging for a top-3 seed and earning a bye. That means it will be among the 10 teams that must play in the Day 1 quarterfinals at the season-ending Team Championship in Dallas.
“We are pursuing a whole different way to get there,” HyFlyers GC Captain Phil Mickelson said. “We are not complacent. We are working hard and we have a good game plan of how we are going to get there. We’ve had a few little setbacks this year but nothing permanent. We’re ready to start pursuit up that leaderboard, and I think we are going to have some success here.”
A return to LIV Golf Greenbrier and the legendary The Old White course should bring the team plenty of confidence. HyFlyers GC finished solo fourth last season and only one shot away from a podium finish. It was one of the highlights for the team in 2023, so expect the players to draw from that result when play gets underway Friday.
Brendan Steele led the way with a 10th-place finish here last season, followed by Cameron Tringale (15th) and Mickelson (26th). Steele and Tringale have continued to lead the team in 2024 and both are in the top 30 of the season-long individual standings while Mickelson stands 44th.
Andy Ogletree has had a feast-or-famine 2024, but the 2019 U.S. Amateur champion has been battling a wrist injury. Ogletree has two top-6 finishes but also eight finishes of 40th or worse. More consistency – and better health – will go a long way in helping the team.
He more than did his part at LIV Golf UK where he finished T6 and led after 36 holes and into Sunday.
“We saw Andy lead most of the final round,” Mickelson said. “I want to cut him some slack because he’s been dealing with some injuries this year, and now that he’s just getting through it, you’re going to start seeing how good this player is. I think he’s one of the best 25 players in the world, and you’re going to start seeing it because he’s not battling the injuries anymore.”
Ogletree said Mickelson was a major reason why he played so well at LIV Golf UK. Leading up to the start of play, Mickelson worked with Ogletree on the range to deal with the wrist injury, including having Ogletree get to his right side better and get the club down in front of him to take some pressure of his wrist.
“Basically, I needed to get a little deeper into my right hip to get the club more in front of me without having to do as much with my wrist, and I was able to keep the angle a little straighter, which definitely alleviated some of that pain,” Ogletree said. “That’s something I’ll take with me the rest of the year and hopefully stack up some good tournaments.”
Speaking of LIV Golf UK, the team had a sneaky good week. The results displayed a T7 finish, but the HyFlyers were only two shots away from a T3 showing, which puts the team on a nice trajectory entering West Virginia.
The Old White’s course characteristics and weather conditions typically have more of a say during tournament week than other event’s host venues. It is a short-ish course at 7,299 yards with only two par 5s, and players must rely on driving accuracy and a sharp short game.
The par-70 layout ends on a par 3, which provides plenty of drama. And keep an eye on the weather as rainy conditions can (and seemingly always does) pop up during competition, forcing players to lock in and refocus on answering questions the famed course asks.