Back to LIVGOLF.COM

LIV Golf 2026 New Player Analysis: Michael La Sasso

Jan 20, 2026 - 3:38 PMWritten by: Matt Vincenzi

LIV Golf has announced that rising star and 13th-ranked amateur golfer, Michael La Sasso, will be joining Phil Mickelson’s HyFlyers GC for the 2026 season. 

PLAYER BIO

Age: 21 

Nationality: American 

OWGR: N/A 

Data Golf Ranking: N/A 

Career Wins: 3 collegiate wins, including the NCAA D1 Men's National Championship.  

Career Highlights: La Sasso has established himself as one of top amateur golfers in the world, reaching as high as third in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) in 2025. He transferred to Ole Miss after one season at N.C. State and became just the second Rebel to win the NCAA individual title. He posted an 11-under 277 to win by two strokes at Omni La Costa's North Course with rounds of 68-67-70-72. La Sasso earned PING First-Team All-American honors in 2025, posted the lowest single-season scoring average in Ole Miss history (69.48) and represented Team USA in events such as the Arnold Palmer Cup.  

Best Major Finish: T90 at the 2025 U.S. Open.  

2025 Results: Dominant junior year at Ole Miss with three tournament wins, All-American honors, and the NCAA title. As an amateur, he teed it up in multiple PGA Tour events, including missing the cut at the Rocket Classic (72-73). He also made the cut at the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont.  

Major Eligibility in 2026: As of January 2026, La Sasso holds exemptions into the 2026 Masters (via 2025 NCAA win).  

2025 RANKS

69.51 scoring average as a junior; 69.25 as a sophomore.  

STATISTICAL PROFILE

La Sasso is an athletic, smooth-swinging player who has a great deal of power off the tee. He excels in ball-striking and approach play. His short game and putting proved clutch in winning the NCAA title, where he made 22 birdies across four rounds. He has the modern power to compete at the highest level.  

Statistical lookalike: David Puig

INTERESTING FACTS

  • He didn't get seriously into the sport until after the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, where he served as a standard bearer. That experience hooked him and sparked his rapid rise from casual player to elite amateur. 

  • He was nicknamed "quad monster" due to his powerful lower body and rotation-heavy swing.

  • In 2024-25, he withdrew from the SEC Championship with a stomach bug, then stepped on a sea urchin before the Cabo Collegiate, spending four painful hours having spines removed from his foot. Amazingly, he still finished T13.

  • His NCAA title granted him exemptions into the 2025 U.S. Open (his major debut at Oakmont) and the 2026 Masters while still an amateur.  

  • La Sasso is close with Ole Miss alum Braden Thornberry, who's now a PGA Tour player. 

  • He signed deals with brands like Johnnie-O and Breezy Golf, and his Instagram blew up with viral swing comments. 

  • Early in his junior year, he struggled emotionally with golf and worked with a performance coach to build resilience. The mindset shift fueled his breakout 2025 season.

BOTTOM LINE

Adding La Sasso to the rising talents such as David Puig, Josele Ballester, Tom McKibbin and Caleb Surratt reaffirm LIV Golf’s commitment to securing some of the most talented young players in the world. La Sasso has all the tools be a superstar and will now benefit from the mentorship of one of the best players to ever live, Phil Mickelson.

Related items