Caleb Surratt, Legion XIII win in first LIV Golf event
04 Feb 2024
by Sean Melia of AmateurGolf.com
see also: Caleb Surratt Rankings
SHARE:
Caleb Surratt left Tennessee join LIV. (UT Athletics)
After just joining LIV Golf last week, former Tennessee standout Caleb Surratt helped his team, Legion XIII, to a debut win. Legion XIII, consisting of Surratt, Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, and Kieran Vincent, won the team competition at LIV Golf's Mayakoba by four shots at 24-under. Crushers GC finished in solo second place at 20-under.
Surratt finished T13 at 5-under. It was an impressive professional debut, as stars like Phil Mickelson shot 11-over for the week and Surratt contributed heavily to his team's success.
After a few weeks of swirling rumors, Caleb Surratt officially joined LIV Golf last week and joined Jon Rahm's team named Legion XIII with Rahm, Hatton, and Vincent. Vincent qualified for LIV in their promotion, surviving a playoff.
Surratt joined the likes of David Puig, Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra, and James Piot as standout amateurs making the leap to LIV before earning their PGA Tour cards.
Over the last few years, Surratt has enjoyed plenty of success on the amateur circuit. He won the inaugural Elite Amateur Series Cup in the summer of 2022. While he didn't win an Elite Amateur Series event, he recorded five top-ten finishes. That same summer, Surratt finished runner-up in the U.S. Junior Amateur at Bandon Dunes, losing to Wenyi Ding in the final.
Over the summer of 2023, Surratt represented the United States in the Arnold Palmer Cup and the Walker Cup. He also finished runner-up in the Northeast Amateur and reached the Round of 32 in the U.S. Amateur.
Since arriving on Tennessee's campus, Surratt won two events - the 2022 Maui Jim Invitational and the 2023 SEC Championship.
Most recently, Surratt finished runner-up in the Jones Cup Invitational for the second straight year. That might end up as his final amateur golf event.
“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,” Surratt said in a statement.
Surratt's rookie season at Tennessee earned him first-team All-America honors, the first selection of its kind for a Volunteer golfer. He was the SEC Freshman of the Year and was named to the All-SEC First Team. He averaged 69.58 in 33 rounds. That success earned Surratt a spot on the Haskins Award preseason watchlist in 2023.
“We’ve come a long way in a short period of time and are extremely proud of the team and brand we are building," Jon Rahm said "As we were developing the team’s brand it became clear that I wanted to fight alongside a group of guys who aligned perfectly with what the team stands for. Tyrrell is a fierce competitor, proven champion, and of course my Ryder Cup teammate. Caleb is one of the brightest next gen stars of the game."
In 2023, Surratt earned some PGA Tour experience. He competed in three events. His best finish was a T65, which came in the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
Surratt left the amateur ranks as the No. 2 ranked player in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf rankings behind Gordon Sargent.