Rising golf star Caleb Surratt isn’t your typical 20-year-old. The North Carolina native left the University of Tennessee last year to join Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII team in LIV Golf, and he’s already making waves in professional golf.
“Jon’s been a great mentor,” says Surratt, who’s already racked up some impressive achievements in his young career.
Before turning pro, he dominated college golf. He won the SEC Championship by six strokes, became Tennessee’s first-ever First Team All-American, and set the school’s record for lowest single-season scoring average.
But that was just the beginning.
In his first year as a pro, Surratt has shown he can hang with the big names. He’s grabbed two second-place finishes on the Asian Tour, including at the prestigious Saudi International, and managed four top-20 finishes in LIV events.
“I was definitely one of the best junior amateur golfers,” Surratt tells Golf Monthly with quiet confidence. “Maybe I haven’t gotten as much publicity as some other guys my age, but I know I can compete with them.”
He’s got big plans for 2024. His hometown of Charlotte is hosting the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow in May, and Surratt is determined to be there.
“I’ve jumped about 2,200 spots in the world rankings just from four events this year,” he says. He’s now hovering around the 280-310 range, but needs to crack the top 100 to make his Major championship debut.
Unlike some LIV Golf players who’ve been vocal about wanting automatic Major qualification, Surratt’s taking a different approach.
“I’m looking at it like I would if I was still in college – you have to qualify,” he explains. “I don’t expect a free pass into the Majors. I want to work just as hard as anybody else.”
He’s following the path blazed by David Puig, another young LIV golfer who’s managed to qualify for four Majors and the Olympics through strong play on the Asian Tour.
“David’s shown it can be done,” Surratt says. “He’s around 100th in the world now, which is pretty amazing considering he doesn’t play many traditional tour events.”
Surratt’s immediate goals? Win twice this year and compete more consistently at the top of LIV events. He’ll kick off 2025 at the International Series India before heading to the LIV season opener in Riyadh.
With his talent and determination, don’t be surprised if you see this 20-year-old making headlines at golf’s biggest events sooner rather than later.
