The making of Caleb Surratt - LIV Golf’s teenage sensation recruited by Jon Rahm
Becoming a professional athlete in any sport is quite the accolade, but in golf things are a little different. The decision to attempt to make a living on the golf course can often start tough.
Monday qualifiers, the gruelling task of Q-School and the chance of earning no money at all if you miss the weekend cut can make it a daunting step for even the most skilled amateurs.
For 19-year-old Caleb Surratt though, a more lucrative path presented itself.
Surratt became the latest college star to turn professional and join LIV Golf, after being named as one of the breakaway league's offseason signings for the 2024 campaign.
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Just a few weeks ago the teenager was a college student at the University of Tennessee, but is now playing against some of the world's best golfers with a cool £3.2 million ($4m) on offer every time he tees it up. The perks to the new job do not stop there though.
Surratt has teamed up with - and will be mentored by - one of golf's modern greats in Masters champion Jon Rahm, after joining the Spaniard's Legion XIII team for his first campaign on the Saudi-backed circuit. And whilst he appears to have been handed the ultimate golfing golden ticket, Surratt has more than earned it.
"He is an incredibly special player and a special young man," his University of Tennessee Head Golf Coach, Brennan Webb told Mirror Sport. "He was always a little bit different in his work ethic, in his passion and his belief in himself. I never had a doubt in his ability of being able to play at the highest levels, and certainly he has already proven that one weekend into his professional career."
Caleb Surratt helped Legion win the team title on debut (Getty Images)Prove that he has, as Surratt brushed shoulders with Rahm and co at LIV's opening event of the season in Mexico. Many would forgive the fresh-faced teenager for a nervy start at Mayakoba on pro debut, but his performance was far from that - banking £262,000 ($300k) in the process.
Surratt kicked off his career with a tied-13th finish last, looking down at the likes of Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Reed and Bubba Watson on the leaderboard, whilst also helping his Legion teammates win the Mayakoba team title. To many, seeing the youngster's name so high on the standings will have come as a surprise, but not to his college cohort.
"Those who have been around him were not as a surprised as the rest of the world," Webb added. "He has always seen himself as one those people [the elite], and to have that first opportunity he is only going to build his confidence.
"Just looking at some the names that he beat in his first week out there, and the fact he has already learned all this stuff it is surreal to think about, but not a surprise to us that have been around him." The route into pro golf provided by LIV is a fairly fresh one, with the breakaway league only two seasons and one event old.
And whilst the circuit presents a life-changing opportunity, it has been resisted by some amid its links to Saudi Arabia and its controversial relationship with the PGA Tour. Nearly two years on though, the world of golf does seem to be healing, and with the chance to play for remarkable amounts of prize money alongside some of best players on the planet, it was on offer to good to give up on for Surratt.
"Caleb had played a few rounds with Jon and they had a connection through Callaway," coach Webb commented. "Caleb certainly looked up to Jon as someone he wanted to be like that, and that combined with the financial aspect of the deal, it became very apparent that it was too good an offer to pass up...
"There might have been some concern in the back of his mind, but this is a decision that everyone in the world that was in Caleb's position would have made the exact same decision.
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"I know he took great comfort in the fact that this could change the current path of his family, and his future at the family, and at the end of the day that is more important that what someone hiding behind a fake name on Twitter has to say. For me, I am just happy for Caleb, and will support him in every aspect."
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