Reigning NCAA Champion Signs With Phil Mickelson’s LIV Golf Team

LIV Golf has made another signing.
Michael La Sasso, the 2025 NCAA Division I Individual Men’s Golf champion, will join the league and be part of HyFlyers GC, which is captained by Phil Mickelson. Therefore, La Sasso, 21, is forfeiting his final year of eligibility at Ole Miss.
"I’m incredibly excited to join HyFlyers GC and take this next step in my career,” LaSasso 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. LIV Golf allows me to compete at the highest level on a global stage, and I thrive in a team environment, especially one with the camaraderie and support that defines HyFlyers GC. My focus is on learning, continuing to improve, and doing everything I can to help our team succeed.”
In 2025, La Sasso made five PGA Tour starts, including the U.S. Open, missing four cuts and finishing T44 at the 3M Open in Minnesota. In his last start, the Sanderson Farms Championship, he received a two-stroke penalty for “improving the conditions affecting his stroke.”
Since LIV’s inception in 2022, the Saudi-backed circuit has signed many rising young stars fresh out of college, such as Jose Ballester, Caleb Surratt, Andy Olgetree and James Piot, who is no longer on the circuit.
Now, add La Sasso to the list.
"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 in a statement.
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Max Schreiber is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, covering golf. Before joining SI in October 2024, the Mahwah, N.J., native, worked as an associate editor for the Golf Channel and wrote for RyderCup.com and FanSided. He is a multiplatform producer for Newsday and has a bachelor's in communications and journalism from Quinnipiac University. In his free time, you can find him doing anything regarding the Yankees, Giants, Knicks and Islanders.