Caleb Surratt, a sophomore at Tennessee, is turning professional and will join Jon Rahm’s LIV team ahead of LIV Golf’s season opener at Mayakoba in Mexico, which begins Friday. LIV Golf announced the long-rumored news Tuesday when it announced Rahm’s team Legion XIII.
Joining Rahm’s Legion XIII with Surratt will be Tyrrell Hatton, ranked 16th in the world, and Kieran Vincent, who was one of three players to qualify for the league via the LIV Golf Promotions event.
Tyrrell Hatton, currently positioned as the 16th best player globally, and Kieran Vincent, who qualified for the league through the LIV Golf Promotions event along with two other players, will be joining Rahm’s Legion XIII alongside Surratt.
Surratt, who held the 10th position in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, belonged to the 2023 Walker Cup team and emerged victorious in the individual SEC Championship during his first year in college.
He received the recognition of being a first-team All-America choice by Golfweek, marking the first time in Tennessee’s history, and also earned the title of SEC Freshman of the Year.
In four events with the Volunteers in the fall, Surratt had a 69.00 stroke average in 10 rounds and a second-place finish at the Fighting Irish Classic
Hatton finished T-14 at The Sentry and T-13 at The American Express, his two starts on the PGA Tour this month. It was reported recently Hatton was making the switch to join his Ryder Cup teammate.
Surratt is the second member of the 2023 Walker Cup team to turn pro, joining Nick Dunlap, who will also make his debut this week at the PGA Tour’s 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Dunlap became the first amateur to win on the PGA Tour since Phil Mickelson in 1991 at The American Express in La Quinta, California.
Surratt’s addition to LIV Golf as a high-ranking amateur is not an isolated incident. In its first season, the league saw the enrollment of David Puig, who was ranked ninth in WAGR and had previously played golf at Arizona State. Presently, Puig is part of Sergio Garcia’s team.
After being ranked second in the world, Eugenio Chacarra decided to part ways with Oklahoma State. In his fifth appearance at the 2022 LIV Golf Thailand, he emerged victorious. Chacarra is currently a member of Garcia’s team as well.