Michael La Sasso, the reigning NCAA individual Division I champion, is set to skip his senior season at the University of Mississippi and join LIV Golf, the league announced Tuesday.
La Sasso, 21, will forfeit the remainder of his college eligibility to become a member of the HyFlyers, Phil Mickelson’s LIV team. La Sasso, who will finish his degree online, is set to make his first start on the rebel tour next month in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
La Sasso’s early departure from college golf also means that he will not be eligible to accept an invitation to this year’s Masters, as he will not remain an amateur at that time. In 2023, Augusta National began offering an annual spot in the spring tournament to the reigning NCAA Division I champion, as long as that player remained an amateur during the event.
“I’m incredibly excited to join HyFlyers GC and take this next step in my career,” La Sasso said in a statement. “It’s a rare opportunity to learn from one of the greatest players in the history of the game, and I don’t take that lightly.”
La Sasso made a mark on college golf in 2025, winning the NCAA title, earning First Team All-American honors and representing the United States on the Walker Cup team at Cypress Point. He played in six PGA Tour events over the summer, including the U.S. Open, but missed the cut at five of those events. At Ole Miss, he recorded the lowest single-season scoring average in program history (69.48).
La Sasso would have headed into his final college season with the Rebels at No. 3 on the PGA Tour University Ranking. The No. 1 player on those standings at the conclusion of the NCAA Championship is immediately promoted to the PGA Tour.
“Michael is one of the most exciting young players in the game today, bringing a competitive fire that’s evident every time he tees it up,” Mickelson said.
While LIV Golf has failed to make a major signing since Jon Rahm joined in 2023, the league continues to recruit young up-and-coming talent, favoring a younger, global membership. In 2024, LIV signed Caleb Surratt, a 20-year-old college standout, and in 2025, it recruited U.S. Amateur champion Josele Ballester. Spain’s David Puig also joined the league early on, followed by Tom McKibbin, the Northern Irishman — a mentee of Rory McIlroy — who joined at age 22.
On Dec. 23, LIV lost one of its biggest stars in Brooks Koepka. Koepka left his contract with the start-up league one year early, and on Jan. 12, announced he’d be rejoining the PGA Tour as part of a new “Returning Members Program.”