Hours after his star player said goodbye to him, his team and the Masters season to introduce himself to the professional world, LIV Golf and “a number you can’t back down from,” Chris Malloy is asked to guess what he would have done if such a gift had been around more than 25 years ago, when he, too, was the biggest golfer on campus.
He started to laugh.
“I don’t have a worldview. I couldn’t answer that one,” Malloy said.
“But I know it was going to be a tough decision.”
In that, he and Michael La Sasso agree, the University of Mississippi coach said Tuesday afternoon. But when the defending NCAA champion was at 10 a.m. Eastern, it went viral on all the social media channels of LIV and the HyFlyers, one of its teams, and his choice was made known. In the press releases, everyone sounded excited about the press release. La Sasso. Phil Mickelson, six-time major winner and team captain. It was Lefty, in fact, who said last Wednesday at the LIV press event that a “new force” was coming, mocking the La Sasso deal.
However, there are layers here. In signing, there is money, both now and in the near future. And Mickelson. But there was also a chance to defend the title. And a shot at the Masters. And a chance to play on the PGA Tour. Everything is a new world. Or certainly none were seen in, say, the fourth century.
The man he left, however, had this to say about his former player:
“As a coach, of course we want to go to national championships, team championships, all those things,” Malloy said, “but you also want to see your guys develop and taste and achieve their dreams. And this is part of that process.
“And the timing is unfortunate, sure, but I’m also very proud and happy for Mike.”
Here’s a look at how LIV signed La Sasso.
Why would Michael La Sasso sign with LIV?
Money
Malloy would not disclose details of La Sasso’s contract, nor would LIV’s press release. But guaranteed money has been one of LIV’s biggest sources, backed by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund.
La Sasso also had reasons for not signing (and we will talk about those below), we gave him power. Malloy said he and his player had talked about LIV’s departure “for a while” and that “things may have escalated a few days ago” before LIV got their man.
In the interview, Malloy had only this to say about the deal:
“More financial stability.”
And this:
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“In finance, it’s a number you can’t turn around.”
‘the way’
La Sasso will play from the start of the LIV season, scheduled for February 4 in Saudi Arabia. If we put it another way, he will not play on the feeding trip. (We’ll fix this soon, too.)
In LIV events, all 57 players are paid, and each tournament awards $22 million per tournament (plus $8 million for teams).
“Living in the States and going through the PGA Tour U and the PGA Tour all of that, it’s probably not the smallest of guarantees at this point for some of these guys,” Malloy said. “So I think the stability, the way forward for him may have been too big to pass up.”
Phil Mickelson
La Sasso will play under Mickelson’s team, and Malloy said “that’s a great opportunity.”
“Learning, being taught by a beginner Phil, that’s a big thing for some of the golfers,” he said. And while I think LIV might be missing a lot of things, I think that’s something they have and they’ve done a great job with it. The attraction for these kids coming out of college is to be on one of these teams that guys have done it before.”
Why doesn’t Michael La Sasso sign with LIV?
Kings
As the defending NCAA champion, La Sasso received an exemption from this year’s Masters – as long as he maintains his amateur status.
Still, Malloy said the location didn’t play into his decision “as much as you would think.”
“Mike was good at thinking long-term and not being short-sighted,” said the coach. “Of course that was painful. I don’t think he ever thought, ‘No, no, I’m not going to play the Masters this year,’ but I’ll give him a lot of credit for that. For someone his age going through all of this, he did a good job of thinking long term.”
Defending NCAA title
Last spring, La Sasso won the NCAA Division I individual title as a junior, and Mississippi begins its spring season on Jan. 31.
How did the final decision go between the player and the coach?
“It was hard for him,” Malloy said. “It was a lot of things. I was happy for him, I’m proud of him, I’m excited for him. It’s sad that he wasn’t going to finish the spring. … It was a decision that was forced a little bit on him, and the timing, too, was unfortunate. So it was a mix of emotions, but in the end and from my end, I’m very proud of him.”
The PGA Tour
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The PGA Tour has many paths to the most important tournaments – the majors – and through the PGA Tour’s “PGA Tour University” program, college players also have paths to the PGA Tour or PGA Tour-sponsored events. With the standing program, they can get membership and start two seasons on the PGA Tour, Korn Ferry Tour or PGA Tour Americas, and La Sasso is currently third on the PGA Tour University list. (In 2025, La Sasso made six PGA Tour starts and made one cut, at the 3M Open.)
Malloy said, however, that he wishes that LIV would start a program in the spirit of the Tour’s, which is a ranking system, which is not compatible with free agreements.
“I would hope that LIV Golf would do the same,” he said, “because it is unfortunate that any player would have to make the decision that Michael faced with this.”
There is also a battle between the PGA Tour and LIV. If La Sasso wants to try to play the Tour after playing the LIV, he will face a suspension.
Have there been previous rookie players who have joined LIV?
Yes, there has been. They include:
– James Piot: 2021 US Amateur winner and former Michigan State golfer played with LIV starting in his first event in June 2022 after becoming champion in May 2022. He played with LIV in 2022 and 2023 and is now out of the league.
– Eugenio Chacarra: Joined LIV in June of 2022, leaving Oklahoma State before his senior year. He played with LIV from 2022 to 2024, and is now on the DP World Tour.
– David Puig: Played with LIV starting in his first event in June of 2022, then became a major later that year, forgoing his senior year at Arizona State. You still have LIV.
– Caleb Surratt: Joined LIV in 2024, leaving Tennessee during his sophomore year. You still have LIV.
– Josele Ballester: The 2024 US Amateur winner joined LIV after his senior year at Arizona State. You still have LIV.
What does LIV get for La Sasso?
Here’s what Malloy said when asked that question:
“He’s an engaging, great person. I think he turns a lot of heads. Between his personality and his golf game, he’s got a lot of talent about him. And, I think he’s a good fit for that brand at LIV Golf. I think he’s going to be a great asset to them.
;)
