LA QUINTA (Cali). Caleb Surratt, 18, was chilling at the University of Tennessee. He is a freshman member of the Vols’ golf club. His phone rang.
It was an invitation to participate in The American Express’s golf tournament as a sponsor’s exempt. He was surprised to learn that unlike other events, where he had applied for invitations, The American Express did not allow him to play.
Surratt said after Surratt’s round on Friday, “Yeah it was unexpected for certain and an hour later, I was making flight arrangements in order to get out there.” Surratt is the youngest pro at the event, and the only amateur. After a bogey-free round of 69 on Friday at PGA West La Quinta’s Stadium Course, he is now at 4-under halfway through the tournament.
AMEX Saturday tee times
After the Butterfield Bermuda Championship in October, this is his second PGA Tour event.
Surratt’s week has been quite special. Surratt arrived on Sunday and played practice rounds with Will Zalatoris and Jon Rahm, the fourth-ranked player. He went from not being there last Saturday to navigating the course with one the best players in the world four days later.
It’s an amazing opportunity. My good golf is capable of competing with these guys. Surratt stated that it is definitely a learning curve and that he has learned a lot from the guys. Rahm is a remarkable man because of his mentality and consistent performance. He might have won this event and will likely be in contention for the next. It’s impressive.”
Surratt is only 18 years old, but he has already been in some very stressful situations. Surratt was one of six American players on the junior Ryder Cup team. He finished second at U.S. 2022. Junior Amateur.
Surratt stated that he doesn’t feel overmatched in Bermuda this October or in La Quinta this week, even against the best pros. Surratt has confidence in his game which includes the ability to hit long drives. This was evident by the 332-yard beauty on Friday that resulted in a final birdie at the 18th hole.
“I am not trying to be a strict person by saying that I am just here to have some fun. I don’t want to be afraid of anyone out there. He said that there are some great amateur golfers, but there is a distinction out here. “And that difference is that if your play is bad out here, you will get beat. And if your play is decent, you’ll get beat. These guys play great golf every week.”
Surratt shot a 71 and a 69 Thursday and Friday. These are fairly average scores compared with the nearly unprecedented event he experienced in his first PGA round in Bermuda.
He shot a 71 on the first day, then birdied the last three holes in a blistering 64 the second round to win Bermuda. His 64 was followed by an 85. This included a hole with a 12 that he missed four times. He also chipped in to help save octuple double bogeys. He then followed his 64 with an 85 on Sunday, scoring a stunning 65. That’s right, 71-64-85-65. This is something you won’t often see.
According to Justin Ray, the 21-shot swing he made between his second and third rounds was the longest by a player in a PGA Tour tournament since John Daly’s 63-86 score at the 2012 Shriners Children’s Open. He was the first teenager to shoot 65 or less in a PGA Tour event, since Joaquin Niemann (2018).
“Yeah that 12 was …. unfortunate. I missed four balls, and three of them were not bad shots. He said that they went over the pin but, apart from that, it was a good week.” It was a great experience and I learned a lot.
Surratt will need to play Sunday this week if he wants to make it. He’ll need to play a great round at La Quinta Country Club Saturday. Surratt finished Friday tied for 88th in the 156-player field. He needs to be in the top 65 to be considered for the cut.
Although his mind is set on being in these events, he took some time to slow down and just take in the moment.
“Obviously, I want the opportunity to play great. But there were times when it was just too much for me. It was cool to recognize that. It was, I suppose, peaceful.”
Shad Powers is a columnist at The Desert Sun. Reach him at [email protected].
