Caleb Surratt: promising LIV Golf youngster set for Moroccan debut
Caleb Surratt is making waves as the youngest player on the LIV Golf League, having already clinched three team titles, and the 20-year-old is excited to take on a new challenge when he tees it up on the Asian Tour for the first time at International Series Morocco this week.
The American youngster turned heads last year by winning three of a possible four points on his Walker Cup debut, the storied amateur match-up between teams from the United Sates and Great Britain & Ireland.
That form put the American on the radar of LIV Golf, and he took up the offer to turn professional and sign for Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII team at the start of the season.
Surratt quickly found his feet with two impressive top-15 finishes in his first two tournaments, in Mayakoba and Las Vegas, where he finished tied 13th and joint 15th respectively. His strong showing in the season-opening Mayakoba event helped Legion XIII win the team title, for a fairytale start for the American, before they followed that up with success in Miami and Nashville – the most recent event, played two weeks ago.
The former University of Tennessee student is taking a step into the unknown at International Series Morocco.
The tournament, which is taking place on Royal Golf Dar Es Salam’s Red Course from 4-7 July, is the third of 10 elevated events on the Asian Tour that provide a direct pathway to the LIV Golf League for a field of 156 players, including the cream of the Asian Tour and top local and regional talent.
Caleb Surratt (on right) has played his part in helping Legion XIII win three team titles on the LIV Golf League this season. Picture by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images.
The International Series events also offer players on the LIV Golf roster a chance to fine-tune their games while playing for big money purses against elite-level fields at world-class destinations.
Major champions including Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed, Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen are among the LIV Golf League big names who have featured on The International Series previously.
Surratt will use the four days in Rabat to tune up for LIV Golf Andalucia in Spain the following week, the ninth event of the season, alongside a number of fellow LIV Golf League stars including Range Goats GC’s Peter Uihlein, Graeme McDowell of Smash GC, Stinger GC’s Branden Grace and Eugenio Chacarra of Fireballs GC.
He said: “I am excited. It is a privilege because I have never been to Morocco before. To be honest I have not really been abroad too much at all, so I am really excited for it and will prepare my best for it. I have heard nothing but awesome things about The International Series and the golf course in Morocco. I am excited to be making my debut there.”
The International Series might be new to Surratt, but it is certainly in his sites – compatriot Andy Ogletree graduated onto the LIV Golf League and a spot with Phil Mickelson’s Hi-Flyers GC this year after winning the 2023 rankings race.
Surratt’s Legion XIII team-mate Kieran Vincent also claimed one of three golden tickets to the big time at the LIV Golf Promotions event.
The Zimbabwean, International Series Vietnam 2023 champion, had received a bye into the second round of the four-round tournament, and held his nerve in a thrilling play-off to earn his place alongside Kalle Samooja of Cleeks GC and Jinichiro Kozuma of Iron Heads GC.
In his rookie season, Surratt has comfortably crossed the bridge to the professional game. Picture by Bryan Lynn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images.
Surratt has been impressed by the standard of players graduating from the Asian Tour. He said: “Obviously the cream is going to rise to the top and that is a great thing for a tour to produce, you cannot fake it. They (the Asian Tour) are clearly doing something right.
“Part of the whole deal is even just learning how to travel as it is harder to go from country to country and adapt rather than state to state, and that’s part of the experience The International Series provides. The players know how to adapt, and I am excited for that.”
He may have traded in his studies at University of Tennessee for a shot at the big time, but Surratt is still enjoying an education of sorts. An All-American, SEC champion and freshman of the year in 2023, he is learning from captain Rahm and other big names week in, week out.
He said: “Especially for a younger player like myself, to be able to go out and play with these guys directly out of college has been life changing. The amount of information I have learned and the amount of confidence I have gained, being able to compete with these guys, is second to none for me.”
Speaking specifically about his captain, he added: “To be able to come straight from college and be one of Jon Rahm’s right-hand men, on a daily basis, is vital for my learning. It is cool to be able to get comfortable around him, because if you can get comfortable and compete with him you can do it with anybody.”
International Series Morocco takes place from 4-7 July at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam in Rabat. It is the third event on The International Series calendar and the eighth event of the Asian Tour season.
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