Andy Ogletree’s rise in professional golf has been one for the books. In 2023, the 26-year-old came back from ashes—not literally, but a nagging back injury—without his form or any Tour to play on. After his hiatus, he started playing on the Asian Tour, and, as evident, it did wonders for him. The pro now plays with Phil Mickelson on the HyFlyers GC on LIV, and it has helped in more than one way.

It seems Lefty has taken Ogletree under his wing and might be behind his recent success. Before the commencement of LIV Golf UK worth $25 million, Mickelson gave Ogletree a few suggestions for his wrist injury. In an Instagram post shared by the HyFlyers GC, the 26-year-old was seen taking Mickelson’s advice for his swing. The 3-time Asian Tour player revealed in the video that he has been suffering from pain in his left wrist whenever trying to make the cut swing using his flexion.

So he was trying to find a way so that his wrist wouldn’t be further damaged. Mickelson, being the veteran, gave the 26-year-old a solid suggestion. Ogletree said, “Phil gave me a tip to get my right hit deeper on the back swing, which keeps the club down in front of me and gets the shaft steeper without doing it with my wrist.” And it has worked out for Ogeltree as he didn’t feel the pain, which eventually helped in taking the solo spot after the conclusion of 18 holes at JCB Golf & Course Club.

Not to take anything away from the 3-time Asian Tour winner, but Mickelson’s tip probably assisted him to hit better drives and contend for his maiden LIV Golf win. Lefty has been known to help many golfers with his small tips. Since joining Ogletree, another pro from the PGA Tour has declared him his ‘big brother.’ 

Phil Mickelson becomes the go-to mentor in the golf world

Lefty has been known to take many up-and-coming golfers under his wing and become their mentor. A few of the names he has helped learn are Jon Rahm, Branden Steele, Akshay Bhatia, and more. The Spaniard took Mickelson as his mentor when he was coached by Dave Phillips and used to be ranked outside of 300. However, even Philips appreciated Lefty’s impact on Rahm, saying, “He has been a great sounding board’ for the 2-time major winner, as reported by Golf.com.

Moreover, Akshay Bhatia, who never stepped foot in university, has been trained under Mickelson since he was a teenager. Bhatia recalled in an interview with the Fore Play Podcast that Lefty took Bhatia “under his swing” and was like a “big brother” to him. Not only this, he has helped Mark Baldwin, an aspiring PGA Tour pro who was struggling in Q-School, and played with him for 3 hours.

The 6-time major has assisted many golfers and helped them to play better golf. Ogletree will now enjoy that privilege that many might not be fortunate to have. The question is, will this tip actually turn out to be the winning tip for Ogletree?