UCLA commit Tyler Loree shoots 3-under 67 in first round of Sony Open
09 Jan 2025
by Justin Golba of AmateurGolf.com
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Tyler Loree (Instagram Photo)
Even with the top-ranked amateur in the world in the field, UCLA commit Tyler Loree stole the show in the opening round of the 2025 Sony Open. Loree shot a 3-under 67 and is T26.
Clanton also got off to a good start, shooting a 1-under 69, and is T65 with 18 holes left until the cut.
Loree carded six birdies and three bogeys, with two bogeys to open up his round. He then made birdies on holes No. 7, 8, 9, and 10 to get to 2-under. Clanton carded three birdies and two bogeys and birdied two of his last three holes.
According to DataGolf, there is a 31 percent chance the cut will be 3-under, a 41 percent chance it will be 2-under, and an 18 percent chance it will be 1-under.
The Florida State standout Clanton is ranked No. 1 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Rankings.
Loree earned his spot by winning the HSGJA 2025 Sony Open Qualifier for an amateur bid into the tournament. He is a Hawaii High School State Champion.
For the ninth time in his career and the first time in 2025, Florida State standout and top-ranked amateur Luke Clanton will tee it up on the PGA Tour. Clanton will play in the 2025 Sony Open at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Hawaii, from Jan. 9 to Jan. 12.
Clanton rose to the top of the men’s ranking after a Round of 64 victory at the U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine National Golf Club.
This past summer, Clanton became the first amateur to record consecutive top 10s on the PGA Tour since 1958. A week after finishing T-10 in the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic, the Florida State All-American finished runner-up in the John Deere Classic.
He also recently recorded a solo fifth-place finish at the Wyndham Championship in North Carolina.
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Clanton also made his U.S. Open debut at Pinehurst and became the first amateur in championship history to record consecutive rounds in the 60s with back-to-back 69s in the second and third rounds. He would finish T41 and second among all amateurs.
During this past collegiate season at Florida State University, Clanton finished fifth in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship and fifth in the NCAA Stanford Regional, leading the Seminoles to the NCAA Championship, where they fell to Auburn in the championship final.
Clanton shared runner-up honors with five other golfers in the NCAA Division I Championship at the Omni La Costa Resort's North Course, one stroke behind winner Hiroshi Tai of Georgia Tech. Clanton went 2-1 in match play, losing to Auburn's JM Butler in the championship match, 2 and 1.
Clanton will tee off at 6:10 p.m. ET in Hawaii with Aldrich Potgieter and Frankie Capan III.