Caleb Surratt to LIV Golf: What we know so far
Caleb Surratt was one of the most talked about additions during LIV Golf's pre-season, although the official announcement of his signing came just hours before opening day. Surratt became the third amateur to sign with the circuit since its inception in 2022.
Although the details of Caleb Surratt's contract have not been disclosed, he is undoubtedly a highly-rated player on the tour. Surratt joined Jon Rahm's Legion XIII, the latter being signed for a reported $600 million. Also on the team is Tyrrell Hatton, who reportedly arrived for $60 million.
At the time of his signing, Caleb Surratt was ranked 10th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR). In 2023, he finished in the Top 10 eight times, including a win at the SEC Championship.
Caleb Surratt saw the proposition of playing in LIV Golf as a big opportunity. Here's how Surratt described it (via Golfweek):
"You go from moving out of your dorm room to competing with the best players in the world, and having two of them truly being your daily mentors on the golf course, it seemed like a big opportunity for me and my golf game, and of course everybody is going to be entitled to their opinion, but I have no doubt that this is what was best for me and my golf game and the future of my professional career."
How much did Caleb Surratt earn on his professional debut?
Surratt had an excellent professional debut, finishing T13 in the individual competition at LIV Golf Mayakoba with a score of -5. In the team competition, Surratt won the title with Legion XIII.
These results earned Surratt $330,000 for his individual placement and $750,000 for his share of the team prize money. His earnings at Mayakoba total $1,080,000.
Surratt scored even par and -1 during the first two rounds of LIV Golf Mayakoba, but unleashed his full potential in the third and deciding round. On Sunday, the young sophomore from the University of Tennessee scored -4, showing remarkable signs of his quality.
Surratt started at the 5th hole due to the shotgun system, and made birdies on the 7th, 12th and 13th with no bogeys, but faced tough challenges on the 16th and 17th. There he chained bogey and triple bogey, which made him drop several places in the leaderboard.
But Surratt bounced back in great form and made consecutive birdies on his next five holes. With this, he not only made an excellent individual debut but also gave his team the necessary points to take first place.
The next stop of LIV Golf will be in Las Vegas next weekend.