SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA | In 2022, Luke Clanton sat in front of his TV watching the WM Phoenix Open, a tournament he’d been watching since he was 10 years old. Sam Ryder was on the tee of the notorious 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale. Clanton watched as Ryder hit his iron flush, the ball soaring in the air before landing on the green and dropping into the cup. Clanton heard the roar of the crowd and looked on as fans showered the hole in beer. He wanted this experience.
On Tuesday, Clanton was standing on the same 16th tee with iron in hand during a Phoenix Open practice round. It was his turn.
“I love giving the crowd a good show,” he said.
The stage is set. A Florida State junior and the world’s No. 1-ranked amateur, Clanton tees off Thursday with a chance to earn a PGA Tour card by Friday. If he makes the 36-hole cut at Phoenix, he will have reached the 20-point threshold for earning a card through PGA Tour University Accelerated, giving him the option to turn pro and join the tour after the college season ends. He would also have the option to defer his status until after his senior season, as Vanderbilt’s Gordon Sargent did last year.
In 10 PGA Tour starts, Clanton has made eight cuts and finished second twice, at last year’s John Deere Classic and RSM Classic. The WM Phoenix Open is a different beast, known for its thousands of rowdy spectators, but he and those close to him think he’s ready.
“Every single PGA Tour event you play you get a lot of people watching you,” Clanton said. “You have to stay in your zone and do what you do.”
Clanton’s career showed promise from the beginning. Florida State golf coach Trey Jones says he first saw Clanton play when the youngster was 12 years old. Jones immediately saw Clanton’s confidence and love of golf. He knew he wanted Clanton at Florida State.
“Before he committed I think I watched Luke play 43 rounds of junior golf,” Jones said.
Luke Clanton swings away on the third hole of the third round during the 2024 U.S. Open
Clanton joined FSU for the 2022-23 season. While he didn’t have the freshman year he wanted, he set the lowest single-season scoring average in FSU history during his sophomore year (69.33). Clanton attributes a lot of his success to how competitive his teammates are.
“They are so supportive of what I do, coming out here and playing,” Clanton said. “When I come back they’re still trying to kick my butt every single day.”
One of his teammates is Grey Albright, recent winner of the Jones Cup Invitational. While Albright can’t remember their head-to-head record, he says there have been a lot of fireworks and putts to win on the final hole.
“We’re both highly competitive individuals and it can get scrappy out there, but it’s really fun to play against each other,” Albright said.
Jones loves the competition between teammates and says Clanton is especially competitive.
“He’ll do anything to push them to get better,” Jones said.
“I think you’re going to see him do exactly what he has done. The motor is going to go in one direction.” – Trey Jones
Clanton is at the top of the amateur game but the PGA Tour is entirely different. Successful amateur golfers don’t always light it up at the next level. Despite this, Jones doesn’t think Clanton will have a hard time adjusting.
“I think you’re going to see him do exactly what he has done,” Jones said. “The motor is going to go in one direction.”
It’s not just Jones who believes the amateur will find success at the highest level. When Scottie Scheffler, a two-time Phoenix Open champion and the world’s No. 1-ranked professional, saw Clanton on the range at TPC Scottsdale, he had to ask if the FSU golfer had his tour card yet or was still in college because Scheffler sees Clanton at so many tour events.
“He’s played great golf and definitely deserves to get his card,” Scheffler said. “I hope that he plays good this week and locks it up and goes back and does his thing in school.”
Still, even Scheffler isn’t completely immune to the pressure of performing in front of the throng at TPC Scottsdale’s 16th hole.
“It’s cool to be able to get in that environment and have people cheering for you,” Scheffler said. “The cheers for you immediately stop if you miss the green or don’t make birdie, so that part is a little bit tough.”
Even so, Clanton is relishing his first experience at the notorious stadium hole.
“Even on a Tuesday, on 16 it was pretty crazy,” Clanton said. “I’m excited to see what it’s going to be like over the weekend or Thursday and Friday.
Albright can’t wait to watch his teammate play 16.
“If anything it’ll level up his golf game,” Albright said. “He does so well in front of crowds when the pressure is on.”
Jones agrees that Clanton will embrace the crowd.
“He will love it,” Jones said. “You’ll see the biggest smile on him. He’ll be the one if everyone gets quiet to tell them to make noise.”
What if Clanton manages to win? Jones says it will be back to work.
“This Sunday if he were to win, the first day he is back (at school) he’ll be out practicing at 9 in the morning. He just can’t stay away.”
But Clanton says he can’t focus on winning. Even getting his tour card isn’t his focus right now. His focus is on what he can control in the moment.
“No matter what you do, just keep thinking about the next shot, not the future,” Clanton said.