# La Sasso’s Record Bid Meets Rahm’s Collective Mastery as LIV Indy Reaches its Climax

**By Amelie Fontaine**  \nPublished August 24, 2026  \nUpdated September 9, 2026

> Twenty-two-year-old Michael La Sasso sits on the precipice of history at LIV Golf Indianapolis, while Jon Rahm's Legion XIII fights to defend its team supremacy.

In a sport where experience is routinely marketed as the ultimate currency, the 2026 LIV Golf season finale in Indianapolis has been turned upside down by a 22-year-old rookie. Michael La Sasso, the youngest competitor on the circuit who turned professional only at the beginning of the year and joined HyFlyers GC, rocketed to the top of the leaderboard through 54 holes to claim the solo lead at 13-under par. His trajectory to the final flight required a remarkable recovery after an opening-round 72 (one-over) gave way to a blistering, bogey-flirting 60 (ten-under) in the second round and a subsequent surge that left the rest of the star-studded field scrambling.

Jsem rád, že jsem v této pozici, La Sasso reflected on his overnight standing, acknowledging the magnitude of what awaits him on Sunday Golf Extra. Už je to určitě nějaká doba. Jsem z toho nadšený víc než cokoli jiného. Uvidíme, co přinese zítřek, ale jsem nadšený, že jsem se dostal až sem.

The stark generational contrast at the top of the leaderboard defines the drama at Brickyard-adjacent grounds. Sharing the immediate pressure behind La Sasso is 53-year-old Richard Bland—the oldest player in the Saudi-backed series—alongside Cameron Smith, Thomas Detry, and Laurie Canter, who all sit just a single stroke back at 12-under. Bubba Watson and Sergio Garcia lurk two shots adrift in a tie for sixth at 11-under, while Bryson DeChambeau and individual powerhouse Jon Rahm anchor a congested group tied for tenth at 10-under.

## The Team Equation and Legion XIII's Defense

While La Sasso chases individual immortality as the youngest winner in league history—echoing his May 2025 NCAA Division I Individual Championship victory captured back when he was still an amateur—the team competition tells a parallel story of collective attrition. Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII enters the final 18 holes holding a slender team advantage at 34-under par. They lead La Sasso's HyFlyers GC by a single stroke, with Ripper GC sitting three shots back at 31-under, and 4 Aces GC (-30) and Fireballs (-29) keeping mathematical hope alive.

For Rahm, a strong team finish would cap a tumultuous landscape surrounding his future. Reporting from outlets like The Shotgun Start and James Corrigan notes that league officials have faced external rumblings regarding vendor lawsuits and the unresolved payment timelines following LIV New York, alongside persistent paddock whispers about Rahm’s 2027 competitive roadmap. Yet inside the ropes, the Basque star remains entirely focused on securing another piece of silverware for the franchise named after Julius Caesar's legendary fighting unit.

## The Leaderboard at a Glance

Position
Player / Team
Score / Metric

1
Michael La Sasso (HyFlyers GC)
-13

T2
Richard Bland, Cameron Smith, Thomas Detry, Laurie Canter
-12

T6
Bubba Watson, Sergio Garcia, et al.
-11

T10
Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, et al.
-10

Team Leader
Legion XIII
-34 (1 stroke ahead)

La Sasso’s last major 54-hole lead before Sunday came during his collegiate amateur days in 2025. Converting that position against a shark tank featuring major champions and veterans like Bland requires navigating a course layout that has punished early mistakes all week. With the broadcast window opening on Golf Channel at 20:00 Sunday evening, the operational question is whether the rookie's iron precision can withstand the closing pressure from Smith and Bland, or if Rahm's Legion XIII can slam the door shut on the team front.

## Sources

- [podcasts.apple.com](https://podcasts.apple.com/es/podcast/the-shotgun-start/id1435273901) — original
- [livgolf.com](https://www.livgolf.com/players/jon-rahm) — original
- [golfmonthly.com](https://www.golfmonthly.com/news/rory-mcilroy-genesis-scottish-open-field-liv-golfers) — original
- [golfextra.cz](https://www.golfextra.cz/rubriky/zahranici/pred-vyvrcholenim-finale-sezony-liv-golf-vede-v-indianapolis-nejmladsi-hrac-na-okruhu_14442.html) — original