Michael La Sasso’s Ole Miss career ended sooner than anyone in Oxford expected, but not because his game plateaued.
The reigning NCAA individual champion is leaving the Rebels and forfeiting his remaining college eligibility to sign with Phil Mickelson’s HyFlyers GC, becoming the latest – and perhaps most surprising – college star to jump to LIV Golf.
A historic Ole Miss career
La Sasso departs as one of the most accomplished players in Ole Miss golf history, rewriting the record book during a breakout 2025 season. He captured the NCAA Division I individual title at Omni La Costa with an 11‑under total, becoming just the second Rebel ever to win the National Championship and helping propel Ole Miss to its first appearance in the match‑play semifinals.
Along the way, he earned First Team All‑American and First Team All‑SEC honors and set the program’s single‑season scoring average record at 69.48, cementing his status as one of college golf’s elite talents.
His success extended beyond the college circuit. La Sasso represented the United States in both the Arnold Palmer Cup and the Walker Cup, and he parlayed his NCAA title into starts at major professional events, including six PGA Tour appearances and a spot in the 2025 U.S. Open.
Even as results on the PGA Tour were mixed, with several missed cuts and a high‑profile penalty at the Sanderson Farms Championship, his ceiling as a future professional remained obvious.
The LIV decision and Masters fallout
By signing with LIV, La Sasso is giving up one of the most coveted perks in amateur golf: a guaranteed invitation to the Masters as the reigning NCAA champion.
Augusta National began extending exemptions to NCAA winners in 2023 contingent on the player remaining an amateur, and La Sasso’s decision to turn pro means he will not drive down Magnolia Lane this April under that criteria.
It is a striking trade‑off for a 21‑year‑old who was projected to enter his final season at Ole Miss as the No. 3 player in the PGA Tour University ranking with a strong path toward a PGA Tour card.
He is expected to make his LIV debut next month in Riyadh, where he will join Mickelson, Cameron Tringale, and Brendan Steele on a HyFlyers squad that finished fifth in the league last season
What it means for Ole Miss and college golf
For Ole Miss, La Sasso’s departure leaves a massive competitive and emotional void at the top of the lineup. The Rebels not only lose their All‑American ace and record‑setting scorer, but also a player whose national title run and postseason heroics helped lift the program to new national relevance.
Replacing that combination of scoring, leadership, and star power in the short term will be nearly impossible, and it alters the ceiling for a team that entered 2026 expecting to contend again on the national stage.
A statement from Head Coach Chris Malloy. pic.twitter.com/lYNyTjLGN2
— Ole Miss Men’s Golf (@OleMissMGolf) January 20, 2026
More broadly, La Sasso’s decision underscores how aggressively LIV is targeting the top of the college game. He follows the path of recent NCAA standouts like David Puig, Caleb Surratt, and Josele Ballester, who opted for LIV’s guaranteed money and global schedule over traditional routes through the PGA Tour and its developmental systems.
For college coaches and players, his move will only intensify conversations about how long programs can realistically build around generational talents before professional offers force difficult choices.