Surratt was not only the key piece of the Legion XIII triumph at JCB, but for the first time in his LIV Golf career, he was also the man leading the charge. After coming up clutch at Valderrama and making five birdies on his second nine to finish the round – helping spur the team to victory – Surratt stepped up once again at JCB. He shot rounds of 67-68-65 to finish in 3rd place, the best finish of his LIV Golf career.
When Surratt joined LIV Golf without ever hitting a shot as a professional, many viewed the move as a bold and risky decision. Now, Surratt is proving that playing against, and alongside, the LIV Golf superstars has fueled his development.
“I think great finishes have been overdue for me, but at the same time there was like so many times today where I wouldn’t have been prepared to do what I did today if I hadn’t have had all those learning experiences,” he said after his fantastic performance at JCB.
“You know there’s a lot of really, really good players here and it’s very hard to finish to the top of the leaderboard and today was a day that I knew I would not have been prepared for if I wasn’t out here for the last year and a half.”
Rahm spoke glowingly about the team’s young potential star. “It’s been a really good week, obviously led by Caleb. Getting his first top 10 and finishing third is a big deal, a big week. Hoping this can be the boost he needed to get to a level that we all know he can get to. Not that he isn’t already there. Just a matter of proving it to himself. He’s definitely good enough.”
Rahm’s running mate on Legion XIII, Tyrrell Hatton, echoed the sentiments of his captain. “It’s nice that Caleb has been playing better this season and obviously the result this week is great for him to grow in confidence and prove to himself that he’s good enough; he just needs to trust himself more,” Hatton said.
For young talents, self-belief is often the missing piece. Surratt’s third-place finish has bolstered his confidence significantly. “To be able to piece it together, trust myself, and finish a great tournament is definitely a confidence builder and proves a lot to me beating a lot of these players,” said Surratt, whose previous best results on LIV Golf were a couple of 11th-place finishes earlier this season.
Surratt’s rapid rise in LIV Golf underscores the league’s commitment to nurturing young talent alongside its established stars. With the mentorship of Rahm and Hatton while playing in a competitive environment on Legion XIII, he has positioned him as a potential cornerstone for the league’s future.