Surratt: UT goodbyes ‘tough,’ but joining LIV a ‘group decision’

Not even a month ago, Caleb Surratt was a Tennessee sophomore playing the Jones Cup, an elite amateur event in Sea Island, Georgia, with upcoming plans to spend time with his girlfriend in Florida before returning to school for his second spring semester with the Vols.

A lot has changed since then.

Surratt did head back to Knoxville, but only to clean out his dorm and say his goodbyes. And on Wednesday, the 19-year-old Surratt was at Mayakoba Resort in Mexico, sitting alongside Ryder Cuppers Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton as a member of Rahm’s newly unveiled LIV Golf team, Legion XIII, and on the verge of his professional debut on the Saudi-backed league.

“It’s obviously been a whirlwind of events,” Surratt said. “… You go from moving out of your dorm room to competing with the best players in the world, and having two of them truly being your daily mentors on the golf course, it seemed like a big opportunity for me and my golf game, and of course everybody is going to be entitled to their opinion, but I have no doubt that this is what was best for me and my golf game and the future of my professional career.”

Surratt turns professional as a top-10 amateur in the world, a recent Walker Cupper and the reigning SEC individual champion. He was expected to again be the Vols’ top player this spring as Tennessee looks to get back to the NCAA Championship for the first time in three years.

With Surratt, however, that task becomes much tougher.

“The conversations were a bit difficult,” said Surratt, who will continue to live in Knoxville. “I would say it was kind of tough to break the news because it’s a big change. I’m on a very highly competitive college golf team that I was the leader of, and to kind of have to step up and leave, it’s tough. One thing that I made very well a point was to not just break the news to them and say I’m leaving. It was more of including everybody that was close to me and on my team in my decision. It was a team decision. It was a group decision. It was not just Caleb Surratt saying what Caleb Surratt wants.

“I had all the support in the world from my teammates. I had all the support in the world from my coaches, and I think everybody sees how great of an opportunity this is, and myself more than anybody, just couldn’t be more excited for it.”

Surratt’s captain is excited as well. Rahm, who like Surratt is a Callaway ambassador, first met Surratt during a practice round at The American Express last year. Rahm then kept tabs on Surratt’s amateur career and was impressed by what he saw.

“He seemed ready to turn pro, so when he approached us with it, I’m not going to shy away from somebody who’s ready to make that transition,” Rahm said. “I’m very happy to have him on the team.”