A left-field name perhaps, but LIV Golf has the future in mind with this latest signing.
Caleb Surratt has joined Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII on the Saudi-funded circuit during his sophomore year at Tennessee University.
Surratt was an outstanding amateur player from Indian Trail, North Carolina, ranked 10th in the World Amateur Golf rankings at the time of turning professional and signing with LIV.
“The opportunity to turn pro and be a part of Jon Rahm’s team is truly a special opportunity that is a great fit for me. I’m excited about the chance to compete and begin my professional career here in Mayakoba,” he said.
“I am so proud to see Caleb’s determined work pay off for him and take the next step into the professional ranks,” Tennessee head men’s golf coach Brennan Webb said.
“Our biggest role as a program is to prepare our players for the next step in their careers on and off the course and Caleb is ready to take advantage of this incredible opportunity he has earned.
“His immediate impact on our program will be felt for many years to come and I am grateful for the opportunity to coach such a special player and special young man during his time on Rocky Top.
“Like everyone at Tennessee Golf, I am proud that Caleb is a VFL and look forward to watching his career progress at the highest levels”
He began his freshman year at Tennessee in 2022 and won the individual SEC Championship title, carding 14-under through 54 holes which was the lowest round by a freshman in SEC Championship history.
Making his first-ever collegiate appearance, he won the individual title at the Maui Kim Intercollegiate.
Surratt earned a place on the US Walker Cup in 2023. He won two points in two singles matches when facing Barclay Brown and Calum Scott, while he and Ben James also earned a point in the Sunday morning foursomes at St Andrews.
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He represented America in the 2023 Arnold Palmer Cup, but his taste of playing for his country should’ve begun at the 2021 Junior Ryder Cup which he was selected for, but the Covid-19 pandemic forced its cancellation.
Before joining LIV Golf, Surratt had already had a taste for the PGA Tour.
He played in the 2022 Butterfield Bermuda Championship and a few months later, he missed the cut at The American Express, which Rahm won, and the Farmers Insurance Open.
Surratt joins LIV Golf’s stable of young stars
LIV Golf’s acquisition of Surratt is not the first time the league has looked to the amateur ranks for inspiration.
David Puig signed for LIV as the ninth-ranked amateur in the world and he made his professional debut at LIV Golf Chicago in September 2022.
He won three times at collegiate level for Arizona State and he reached the round of 16 at the 2022 US Amateur Championship.
James Piot’s career took a similar path.
Having won the US Amateur in 2021, he turned professional in 2022, playing at the Masters and the US Open before joining LIV. He missed the cut in his other four PGA Tour starts that year.
And then we have Eugenio Chacarra, the man who skipped his senior year at Oklahoma State to turn professional and join Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs GC in June 2022.
Just five months later, Chacarra won LIV Golf’s event in Bangkok, banking a sum just short of $5 million.
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