Is LIV Golf Now The Best Route To Pro Golf For College Stars?

For years the conveyor belt only moved in one direction with the cream of college golf trying to fulfil their dreams on the PGA Tour - but can LIV Golf now offer a better alternative start in the men's pro game?

When NCAA Division 1 men's champion Michael La Sasso signed for Phil Mickelson's HyFlyers LIV Golf team it was a bit of a surprise, but it continues a growing trend on the team tour.

As a number of talented college stars have made the move straight to LIV Golf instead of trying to make their way onto the PGA Tour - including the likes of Eugenio Chacarra, James Piot, Caleb Surratt, David Puig and more recently Josele Ballester.

They've all had different levels of success, but what their decisions and the latest by La Sasso show is that LIV Golf is a truly viable and attractive alternative for talented college golfers turning pro.

There's still plenty of players - the likes of Ludvig Aberg, Luke Clanton and Michael Thorbjornsen - going from college to thrive on the PGA Tour, but there's now a genuine alternative route.

Graeme McDowell took a bit of heat for his post on X saying LIV Golf offers "a legitimate pathway for young potentional superstars" but he makes some very valid points.

The Northern Irishman's further comment read: "The road to the PGA Tour is increasingly perilous and littered with great talent that never made it."

That was the one many golf fans took exception to, as many believe joining LIV is a shortcut to wealth for those not wanting to put in the hard work to succeed on the PGA Tour.

La Sasso for instance has given up a place in The Masters to join LIV Golf, chosen the security of guaranteed money over having to battle and grind to play on the PGA Tour, picking cash over legacy some would argue.

As every young golfer dreams of making those big PGA Tour events, playing Majors, driving down Magnolia Lane - things may change in the future but no young golfer has grown up dreaming of playing for the HyFlyers or any other LIV Golf team have they?

Why LIV is a good move for college stars

But that's not to say that LIV Golf isn't an attractive propostion for eactly the reasons McDowell states and a couple of others.

Yes, the PGA Tour is the promised land for many but it's becoming increasingly difficult to make it even for the best coming out of college - La Sasso for instance had Korn Ferry Tour status but there are only 20 cards now available for the big league instead of 30.

And then obviously it's only the top 100 who survive on the PGA Tour and while that's better for the viewer and golf fans who like to see a bit of jeopardy in the sport - it's not ideal for career planning.

So why not take a chunky signing-on deal from LIV Golf, get guaranteed starts and play all around the globe for the chance to earn some bumper pay days from what are less demanding tournaments than full field PGA Tour scraps.

As for the Majors and ranking points - OWGR recognition might be just around the corner and there are increasing pathways into the Majors direct from LIV and also the Asian Tour's International Series.

So you have a guaranteed cash bonus, increased prize money in smaller events and Major opportunities, but the final point is also worth noting - and that's the team factor with experienced golfing superstars.

It can be a lonely place out on the PGA Tour in a cutthroat dog-eat-dog world. You can argue whether the LIV Golf team aspect works for the fans, but it can definitely be a benefit to the players.

We don't know how much time they spend together in reality or how much advice is given, but for a young college golfer just being around Jon Rahm, Sergio Garcia or Phil Mickelson, soaking up that knowledge and experience can only help, surely?

Also playing across the world in nine diferent countires and experiencing all those different cultures if nothing else is great life experience that you wouldn't get on the PGA Tour.

There's still life after LIV

Although some have thrived - Puig and Ballester have claimed tournament wins - not every move has gone smoothly, and with relegation expanding it's not quite the easy ride it was initially, just ask Eugenio Chacarra or James Piot.

But there's also pathways back to the regular PGA and DP World Tours as well - as although Piot has struggled since being relegated he did play in the Rocket Mortgage Classic last year.

Chacarra was one of the first big names to leave college early to join LIV Golf but had shall we say a slightly acrimonious departure.

He felt promises about ranking points and Majors weren't met, but then again he won a LIV tournament in Bangkok to pocket $4m in just his fourth start had the benefit of playing alongside Sergio Garcia for three years.

Even when departing (with over $16m in the bank) he then won the Hero Indian Open in March to earn full DP World Tour staus - and who's to say having three years under Garcia's wing didn't help with that?

So even those keen to make it on the PGA Tour could feasibly play on LIV for a few years to gain vital experience - in now regular 72-hole events - alongside an experienced veteran, collect a big lump sum of cash, still have Major opportunities and can always return to a regular tour, even after a ban in the PGA Tour's case.

You can see why that would be an attractive option.