6 things you need to know about Luke Clanton – the hotshot who just secured his PGA Tour card

Luke Clanton is the newest PGA Tour member.

Luke Clanton has been tipped for a Ryder Cup debut later this year despite still being an amateur. So what makes him so special? Let’s take a look…

Luke Clanton is the talk of the tour right now. Still only 21, the World No.1 amateur punched his ticket to the big time after playing in the Cognizant Classic, where a tie for 18th was good enough to secure his PGA Tour card through the Tour’s University Accelerated Program.

The American has already racked up four top 10s, including two runner-up finishes, in just 12 starts on the PGA Tour and has been so impressive that he’s now being tipped to make his Ryder Cup debut at Bethpage Black in September.

“Is it that hot of a take?” Matt Every, the PGA Tour star, argued on the Sky Sports Golf podcast.

“He’s a nice player and he’s got a great captain. If he’s going to need a pick, he’s got a great captain for it. I really doubt Keegan is going to rip right down the list 7 through 12. I don’t see that happening.”

Though it may seem unlikely at this stage, there is precedent for this kind of thing happening. Ludvig Aberg didn’t make his professional debut until June 2023 and yet he was picked to play in the Ryder Cup in Rome three months later.

What counts against Clanton is that he can’t turn pro until June, which gives him a limited window to make an impression. But judging by what he’s achieved since bursting onto the scene at last year’s US Open, you may not want to bet against it…

Six things to know about Luke Clanton

• A junior at Florida State University, Clanton is the second player to earn his membership through the PGA Tour University’s Accelerated Program after Gordon Sargent, who has elected to defer his membership until the end of his senior season this year.

• None of the 20 points Clanton needed to claim his PGA Tour card came directly from his collegiate performance. He earned 14 points via PGA Tour results and the rest through his World Amateur Golf Ranking.

• Last year he became the first amateur to post three top-10s in one PGA Tour season since Jack Nicklaus in 1961. He’s currently ranked 92nd in the Official World Golf Ranking and could qualify automatically for the remaining Majors if he cracks the top 50. He has another exemption into the Valspar Championship at the end of March.

• Since tying for 41st and winning the Silver Medal on his US Open debut last year, Clanton has notched five top-15 finishes in 12 PGA Tour starts, including runners-up at the John Deere Classic and The RSM Classic. He even jumped into a tie for second at the Cognizant Classic on Sunday, before faltering on the back nine. 

• To help fund his golf dream, Clanton’s dad has been juggling three jobs while his mum has spent roughly 40 years working 15-hour shifts as a flight attendant. Clanton plans to retire them both once the cheques start rolling in. He’s getting cars for both mum and dad, too.

• Despite winning the 2024 Mark H. McCormack Medal as the World’s No.1 amateur, Clanton will forgo invites to play in this year’s US Open and Open Championship if he accepts his PGA Tour membership before then. His immediate focus is on completing his final semester at university, before competing in the NCAA Championship in May.