“Playing with Phil Mickelson is not shying away from competition” - Jon Rahm’s new signing bashes critics doubting his ambition amid LIV move

One of the biggest criticisms of LIV Golf was the lack of competition. Many golfers have declined to move over because of that idea and that they believe they wouldn't improve by playing on the rebel tour. That was the criticism leveled at Caleb Surratt, one of the most recent signings.

The young golfer, who is just 19 years old, skipped other pro tours and went straight to LIV. The criticism that he was dodging real competition didn't sit well with him.

Surratt said via Golf Magic:

"Anybody that says it’s ‘shying away from competition’, that’s not true, going from college to playing with Major champions like Phil Mickelson, it's not in any sense shying away from any competition. I have truly learned that and embraced that, it’s made me super confident in my decision."

Surratt believes that there is real competition on LIV Golf, namely in the form of one of the best to ever do it: Phil Mickelson. He has arguably been LIV's most impactful signing to date, and he is what Surratt believes is the pinnacle of golfing even now.

The LIV star went on to say that he has gotten better, hitting back at the other prominent criticism:

"Through three weeks now of being a professional golfer, I can confidently say that I know for a fact that I have gotten better in almost every aspect of my game. I can only imagine what that’s going to be in a couple of years."

He's only 19 and improving, and he credits the players he's up against every time out as a big reason for the growth that he expects to continue.

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Caleb Surratt pushes back on LIV criticism

Caleb Surratt's initial point doesn't even mention the fact that he joined arguably the best LIV player's team. Mickelson might have been the most important addition, but the biggest one yet was Jon Rahm. The Spaniard, and his $566 million fee, was a huge steal in terms of talent.

Caleb Surratt pushed back against his critics

And Surratt plays for his team now. So while he's not quite directly competing against Rahm as much as the non-Legion XIII players are, the Ryder Cup star is another piece of ammo for anyone fighting back against competition criticism.

LIV also houses Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Talor Gooch, Tyrell Hatton, Bryson DeChambeau and plenty of other talented golfers, which is Surratt's point.

Surratt is one of the few golfers who pretty much skipped anything and went straight to Greg Norman's tour. He's never played on the PGA Tour, so this is the best competition he's ever faced.

Nevertheless, it is becoming more difficult by the day to discredit the talent that LIV has. Their roster is growing and has some of the best in the world. Their format may be more relaxed, but they continue to add talented players all the time. It may not be quite on par with the PGA Tour, but they have a few top-notch players to compete against.