LIV Golf Pro Whom Jon Rahm Signed for $2M Linked to Walker Cup Star’s Major Career Move

The young days of friendship have a huge influence on players. Take the example of Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas, who have been backing each other throughout their journey from junior golfers to professionals. Well, similar to the two, there was another story that was building, but Jon Rahm‘s Legion XIII recruitment hindered it. Michael La Sasso, the Walker Cup star, has shared the backstory for his decision to choose a college involving another amateur who joined LIV Golf.

With just a few days until the 2025 Walker Cup, Smylie Kaufman had an exclusive chat with Michael La Sasso on the Smylie Kaufman Show. When talking about the college journey, Kaufman asked him, “How many years were you at NC State?” For this, La Sasso had a backstory involving the LIV golfer Caleb Surratt. He said, “So I was at NC State for a year. I was actually on a little backtrack to NC State, I committed there, I think it was like my ninth grade or 10th grade summer. But when I was committed at the time, not many people knew this. Caleb Surratt was also committed there to play golf.”

Caleb Surratt, who committed to N.C. State initially struggled to make college choices, but ultimately chose the University of Tennessee after NC State. Surratt, being the World No. 2 player in the country by Junior Golf Scoreboard, had some notable finishes that helped him earn the title of Rolex Junior First Team All-American. The illustrious career since the beginning became a major influence on the Walker Cup star for joining NC State, as he shared further about it.

Continuing ahead, Sasso said, “Then Caleb Surratt and I were supposed to come in and go to school together. And so, like he was a big part of like one of the reasons why I committed there, and then he ended up leaving, went to Tennessee, and then went to LIV, which was kind of like he’s kind of been bouncing around a ton ever since, like junior golf days. So I ended up sticking it out. Went there for a year. And it was fine.” Surratt, with his college career from 2022 to 2023, became the SEC Freshman of the Year and won an individual conference championship. Although his career was on the right track in terms of performance, jumping through options did not keep him consistent.

But that performance led him to a great competitive league, which he is grateful for. Talking about the offer, Surratt said, “It’s not too often that you’re given an opportunity like this as a top college player. So to be able to receive that, it was a no-brainer for me, and I’m very thankful for it.”He’s become a rising star on LIV’s Legion XIII team. He signed a pro contract with Rahm’s squad in early 2024, estimated at around $2 million. His most significant moment? A breakthrough solo third-place finish at LIV Golf UK in July 2025.

However, after Surratt changed colleges, Sasso also did the same, as he switched to the University of Mississippi for his sophomore year, pursuing Marketing Communication. But his switch didn’t affect his performance as he achieved multiple accolades. He earned the 2025 NCAA Division individual National Champion, PING First Team All-American, Golfweek First Team All-American, and many more. In fact, he is the rising senior performer at Ole Miss.

Even though the roadmap was shared by Sasso’s fellow, he has been on his own when it comes to the performance journey. And without a doubt, it has been a great one, putting him on the American side for the Walker Cup and 9th on the WAGR. Let’s take a look at his career performance.

Michael La Sasso’s 2025 performance so far

Sasso, who ended his 2024 schedule with a win, was high in confidence to repeat the same in 2025. And so he did with his performance. In the first few weeks, he achieved three top-15 finishes, which kept improving further. Later on the 16th week of the schedule, he participated in the Old Waverly Collegiate Championship, which turned out to be the best performance of the 2025 schedule. The golfer with the consistent performance in three rounds of 67-67 and 69 clinched the title. In fact, he got the opportunity to participate in multiple professional events of the PGA Tour, including the US Open.

With a total of five event participations, the golfer missed the cut in four events, but as an amateur, he made the cut at the 3M Open, which was a great achievement. With consistent rounds of 69,68,63, and 73, he was placed T44 along with Patrick Fishburn, Matthieu Pavon, Jhonattan Vegas, and others.

Sasso, with his career, has achieved three wins, 12 top-10 finishes, and third place on the WAGR as his career best. Additionally, now with the Walker Cup, his performance will have all eyes, as the golfers with notable performance in the Walker Cup have turned out to be successful professionals. Do you see Sasso among the future top names? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.