Twenty-one-year-old Luke Clanton may still attend Florida State, but he has carried himself like a seasoned professional in every event he has played in.
But now, thanks to a tremendous showing at this week’s Cognizant Classic, Clanton can call himself a PGA Tour member.
Through the PGA Tour University’s Accelerated Program, Clanton needed to make the cut this week to earn a PGA Tour card.
A player must reach 20 points through the program’s criteria to earn a card. Players receive one point for making a PGA Tour cut. Clanton arrived at PGA National with 19 points, all of which he has amassed within the last nine months.
Thanks to a Friday 66, Clanton easily made the cut and is now eligible to compete on the tour after the NCAA season ends in May. He becomes the second player to achieve this through the program, following Vanderbilt’s Gordon Sargent. Clanton also has the option to return to Florida State for his senior season, a choice that Sargent made last year.
In the meantime, Clanton sits at 9-under at the midway point of the championship. He is also in the top-10 going into the weekend at PGA National.
After draining his birdie putt on the 18th hole, Clanton could not help but let the emotions flow. He earned his way to the tour at his hometown event, roughly an hour from where he grew up.
“He’s a great player. He hits it a mile. He’s got a great short game. He’s real fiery,” said fellow Seminole Daniel Berger.
“He’s got a bright future. Just got to keep doing what he’s doing.”
It’s an entirely different feeling from what he felt three weeks ago at the WM Phoenix Open. Like this week, Clanton received a sponsor’s exemption from the Thunderbirds to try and earn a PGA Tour card at TPC Scottsdale. He needed to make the cut to do so, but fell one shot short — his birdie try on the 18th hole just missed.
After, Clanton said that he knew his time would come. He remained confident and steadfast in himself, a testament to his identity and faith.
That motif re-surfaced on Wednesday, when he addressed the media ahead of the Cognizant Classic.
“My time will come, and we don’t know if it’s this week or next week or whenever it will be. I’m going to trust in Lord and know that it’s golf; it’s going to go my way or not go my way,” Clanton said.
“I would love for it to be this week with all the friends and family coming up, but I’m just going to focus on one shot at a time.”
That time is now, and Clanton is officially a PGA Tour member.
“I never really want to talk about it and say it that way, but now that I’m done, it’s definitely a lot off the shoulders for sure,” Clanton said after his round on Friday.
“I’m definitely excited to see what the boys have texted me and hang out with them when I get back there. We still have two more days in this event and we’re going to be locked in and try to go out and win this thing.”
He definitely has the game to win. If he does, he would instantly become eligible to compete on the PGA Tour and could begin at next week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational. However, as Clanton has demonstrated for weeks, no one should get ahead of themselves. Patience, persistence, and faith always win, the attributes that paved the way for Clanton to the PGA Tour.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.
