WESTFIELD, INDIANA – AUGUST 23: Michael La Sasso of HyFlyers GC celebrates with his caddie after winning the LIV Golf Indianapolis on the 18th green at The Club at Chatham Hills on August 23, 2026 in Westfield, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
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Professional golf rookie Michael La Sasso fends off a surging Jon Rahm to win his first event and possibly the final event of LIV Golf 1.0 in Indianapolis.
La Sasso, who was a college standout and won the NCAA Men’s Division I individual championship in 2025, elected to skip his final year of college eligibility and a Masters invitation to join LIV Golf.
“I’m completely speechless,” said La Sasso in a LIV interview. “… I knew coming into this week that something special might happen, and kind of shooting 1-over the first round and looking back at the leaderboard, I didn’t really think I’d be standing here right now. But I was able to putt it off. It’s pretty unbelievable.”
The 22-year-old La Sasso becomes the youngest winner in LIV Golf history. The win earned him just over $2 million, a sum cut nearly in half from the normal $4 million winner’s check.
The final round ended on hole No. 1 for Rahm, who started on the second hole in his final round. He had a one-stroke lead over La Sasso going into his final hole but lipped out a 6-foot putt for par, resulting in a closing bogey and dropping him back into a tie at 18 under par.
“My mistake opening the door,” said Rahm, in a LIV article. “Michael made a great up-and-down on 18 to win. He earned it, and as frustrating as it is for me, I’m happy about all the good things I did this week to give myself a chance.”
La Sasso began his day on hole No. 1 and finished on the par-5 18th hole. His drive was a fade that left him trying to bend the ball back with body English off the tee. It would find the short grass.
His approach to the green would find the fairway right of the green, flirting with a water hazard wide right. His chip onto the green would quiet any playoff hopes as he left his 30-yard shot inches from the cup.
“I definitely saw the names starting to rise up on the leaderboard, especially early. I know we teed off a little bit later, so I knew I had some holes coming in to kind of shake them off a little bit. I knew as soon as I saw this last hole, I was like, this is my time to strike. It all worked out,” La Sasso said after the round in a LIV interview.
La Sasso was all smiles on the final hole, avoiding danger twice. His podium celebration showed true jubilation as he accepted the trophy.
This event crowned the individual and team season winners. Legion XIII won by six shots over second-place HyFlyers GC. Rahm is your individual points champion, with Bryson DeChambeau coming in second and Joaquin Niemann in third.
“There’s been a lot that’s surrounded all of us pretty much since we joined, and at the end of the day, when you step on the golf course, it’s just golf,” Rahm said after in ESPN. “So all the problems and theories go away, and you compete. It hasn’t been any harder or any easier in any way. It’s just, kind of, I think, the life of a pro athlete.”
Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton appear to be on the move as LIV 1.0 comes to a close. Rahm has been vocal about playing in other tournaments and other golf leagues, while Hatton came to the first tee playing “I Want to Break Free” as his walk-up music.
“As a team, we’ve done incredibly well. Winning last year was special. Obviously, this time around it’s a little bit different, but it’s nice to defend the title,” Hatton said in a LIV interview.
Rahm is estimated to have won $95.98 million in tournament winnings on LIV, while Hatton is estimated to have taken home $40.35 million in event winnings during their LIV Golf careers.
Timothy is a founding member of Break80 Golf and a contributing golf and sports writer for Forbes with PGA Tour and LIV Golf media credentials. Timothy can be reached at break80podcast@gmail.com for inquiries or story leads.