Luke Clanton was sticking to the script.

Ahead of his professional debut at the RBC Canadian Open, the 21-year-old walked into TPC Toronto’s media center for his pre-tournament press conference and read a statement he prepared. 

“Today my dream becomes a reality,” the former Florida State University star said, “a professional golfer on the PGA Tour.”

Of course, Clanton couldn’t control the ensuing questions from the scribes. And one of them was whether he ever had discussions of joining LIV Golf. 

Clanton responded like a seasoned veteran. 

“I want to play the PGA Tour, pretty simple,” he said. “I want to play against the best, I want to compete in majors, and that’s it. Simple.”

The ask wasn’t far-fetched. A day later, one of Clanton’s peers, Josele Ballester, who played at Arizona State and won the 2024 U.S. Amateur, signed with the Saudi-backed circuit after rejecting Korn Ferry Tour status, which he received by finishing third in the PGA Tour University rankings. 

Clanton could have cashed in immediately, but instead he’s taking a different route after proving he can compete on the PGA Tour. After four top 10s as an amateur, he earned his Tour card in March at the Cognizant Classic through the PGA Tour University Accelerated program. He and Vanderbilt’s Gordon Sargent, who is also making his pro debut in Canada, are the first players to graduate from the program.

In the last two months, Clanton finished his third and final season at FSU before embarking on the next stage of his career. The Seminoles fell short of claiming a national title, even though Clanton captured the Ben Hogan Award as the country’s top collegiate player. 

“It was hard, definitely after Nationals when we lost,” Clanton said. “It was a hard one to kind of wrap up. Kind of coming back and hanging out with the guys for the last couple of days was definitely a bit rough. Kind of leaving them and understanding that my amateur career is done, it was hard, but it's something we all chase for to become a professional. It’s a happy cause, but I’m just so excited.”

Now, his priorities have shifted. 

“My only goal is to stay process-oriented as much as I can,” Clanton said. “You can look very far into the future and say I want to win majors and PGA tournaments. Obviously, everyone wants to do that. 

“To me, it’s staying connected to my team, staying connected to my family, and staying connected to the process as much as I can. It’s a very generic answer as everyone says, but it’s something true.”

Whether it’s winning over the media and fans or emerging victorious on the golf course, Clanton is ready.


This article was originally published on www.si.com as Luke Clanton Ready to Excel in ‘Dream’ of Playing on PGA Tour Ahead of Pro Debut .

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