Union’s Ogletree making PGA debut on Thursday

Andy Ogletree of Union makes his PGA tour debut this week when he competes in the Mayakoba Golf Classic this week.

The tournament, which is presented by UNIFIN, is held in Mexico, about an hour from Cancun. It starts Thursday and can be viewed on the Golf Channel. This is the final stop on the 2020 PGA schedule. The purse equals $ 7,200,000. The winner receives $1.3 million.

Brendon Todd is the defending champion.

“It’s the only PGA held outside the United States,” said his father, Jim Ogletree. “Most of the top players will be there.”

Andy arrived Monday and went through testing for COVID-19. That process took most of the day.

“They don’t fool around down there. If you get it, you can’t leave your room for two weeks.”

The tournament will be played on a Greg Norman-designed course, El Camaleón blends through the diverse ecosystems of Mayakoba, including tropical jungle, dense mangroves, freshwater canals and pristine Riviera Maya oceanfront. 

Ogletree has won the U.S. Amateur championship. He turned pro a few days after finishing as the low scoring amateur at the Masters last month, finishing 34th overall. He was a two-time All-American while playing at Georgia Tech.