Young Legion XIII team looks to stay hot in Adelaide

ADELAIDE, South Australia – A year ago, Jon Rahm convinced a teenager to join his expansion LIV Golf team, Legion XIII. Caleb Surratt, then just 19 and a sophomore at Tennessee, not only was legally unable to fully enjoy the team’s numerous champagne celebrations, he also had a difficult time just checking into a hotel by himself.

This year, Rahm convinced another rising star, 22-year-old Tom McKibbin of Northern Ireland, to sign with Legion XIII. That lowered the team’s average age to 26.25, nearly four years younger than any other LIV Golf team.

As Legion XIII showed in the 2025 season opener in Riyadh, youth is being served in the most successful of ways. The team’s 11-stroke victory is the fifth team title for Legion XIII in their first 15 tournaments, a 33.3% success rate.

And it’s all by design.

“There's no coincidence that I've tried to keep the team young,” said Rahm, who won the LIV Golf Individual Championship in his first year. “The idea here is hopefully find four really strong players and form a team that lasts together for a long time.

“Hopefully we can create a powerhouse that can do what many other teams in other disciplines have been able to do. I might be a little early to say that, but the goal is there.”

The goal this week is to knock off the defending LIV Golf Adelaide champions Ripper GC, the all-Australian team that will enjoy overwhelming fan support as the local favorites. It will be a much different challenge than last week in Riyadh, which was played under the lights and in significantly cooler temperatures than what the 54 players in the field will face at The Grange.

The Rippers tied for second in Riyadh, a good sign toward their stated goal of peaking for Adelaide. Still, they finished 11 shots behind Legion XIII, which has to be cause for concern by all of the other 12 teams in the league.

While Rahm and the red-hot Tyrrell Hatton are LIV Golf’s top 1-2 punch, the back end of the roster now seems in productive hands with McKibbin, a one-time DP World Tour winner, and Surratt in his second year as a pro. Given that Legion XIII won four times a year ago with an inconsistent back half, the upgrade could lead to even more dominance in 2025.

“I'm really excited because not only do we get a fantastic player in Tom, but Caleb – I think he would tell you he didn't have his best golf year last year. He's capable of a lot more and has talent for a lot more,” Rahm said.

“I think we could be having a repeat of last year, but I think we'll be more consistent this year than last year because we did have some ups and downs. But I think we could have an even better year this year. That's certainly the hope.”

Hope immediately turned into reality in Riyadh. The first round saw Legion XIII shoot 24 under, matching the best performance ever by any team in a single LIV Golf round. Legion padded its lead on Day 2 to 11 shots and then cruised to victory in Saturday’s final round. Their 50 under total is just the fifth time any team has finished 50 or under (note that Riyadh was the first time all four scores counted for every round).

Individually, Rahm tied for second, Hatton tied for sixth, Surratt was solo 11th (his best LIV result) and McKibbin tied for 15th after a spectacular opening-round 7-under 65.

No other team had four players inside the top 15, and only one other team (RangeGoats) had all four players finish with top-24 points.

Acquiring McKibbin, who tied for low newcomer in Riyadh along with RangeGoats’ Ben Campbell, was a top priority for Rahm in the offseason. The captain was surprised other LIV Golf teams didn’t chase after the youngster, who won the European Open in 2023.

“He expressed his interest to join LIV, and as far as I know, there wasn't any teams trying to out-bid anybody,” Rahm said. “I don't know if that was the case or if it was him saying I don't want to go anywhere else or what the situation, but I thought he would be a prize player. I'm happy we got him.”

Said McKibbin: “That's the only ones I spoke to. Yeah, I'm very, very happy I'm here. So, thanks, Jon.”

Hatton saw first-hand in January what McKibbin brings to the table. The two were partners at the Team Cup, winning a Four-balls match in GB&I’s rout of Continental Europe.

“He's a fantastic player, and to be honest, he doesn't really look like he has any weaknesses,” Hatton said. “He drives the ball great, hits it a long way, looks very good with the wedges and rolls it nicely.

“I think we all expect him to do pretty well out here. It'll take a little bit of time for him to get used to it with the warm-up situation on the range and finding a rhythm and being ready to go straight away when you get on the golf course, but so far he's dealt with that really well.”

Surratt’s continued development also should pay dividends throughout the season. He pushed hard in search of his first professional title last month at the PIF Saudi International presented by SoftBank Investment Advisers, reaching the three-man playoff against LIV Golf captains Joaquin Niemann (Torque GC) and Cameron Smith (Ripper GC).

Niemann eventually won, but the experience was invaluable for Surratt, who obviously feels comfortable at Riyadh Golf Club. He also feels comfortable having another young player on the roster.

“It's nice to have somebody my age,” Surratt said. “I think me and Tom have been getting along really good, and I think it's going to be an incredible dynamic that I think is going to lead to a strong year for us. But we're both learning and definitely a great opportunity that we both have.”

With Rahm just turning 30 and Hatton just reaching his prime at age 33, it’s easy to project Legion XIII as the dominant force in LIV Golf for the next few years. Sure, there may still be growing pains, but as the outcome in Riyadh suggests, their future is now.