Luke Clanton comes agonizingly close to earning PGA Tour card at WM Open
07 Feb 2025
by Sean Melia of AmateurGolf.com
see also: Luke Clanton Rankings
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Luke Clanton could leave Arizona with a PGA Tour card (Florida State Athletics Photo)
Golf is a game of inches, some say.
Luke Clanton was mere inches from earning his PGA Tour card on Friday afternoon at the WM Phoenix Open. He missed the cut by one shot, leaving him still one point shy of locking up a PGA Tour card through PGA Tour U Accelerated.
A 74 on Friday put Clanton in a tough position to make the cut. However, Clanton battled back on Friday, making birdies on hole Nos. 11, 13, 15, and 17 to get to one-under par for the tournament. The cut was looking like it was going to fall at two-under par. The birdie barrage had him standing over a 15-foot putt on the 18th hole to shoot 66 and make the cut on the number. The putt scooted past the hole on the high side, and Clanton stood with his hands on his head.
While all of Clanton’s 141 shots at TPC Scottsdale count the same, an eagle putt on the par-5 15th hole is probably the one that might take multiple trips around Clanton’s head as he flies back to Tallahassee The putt hung on the lip, tantalizingly close to dripping over the edge. Clanton lingered, staring in disbelief, but had to tap in for birdie. which got him to even par. An easy birdie on the 17th left Clanton with what any golfer really wants: a chance.
“I don't think I've ever dealt with pressure like that before, so I'm learning every single week,” he said.
It wasn’t Clanton’s time, and he’ll have a few more bites at the apple to earn his PGA Tour card on the course. The Valspar Championship on March 20 is likely his next PGA Tour invite.
“I kind of kept trying to tell myself my identity is not going to change my mind,” Clanton said after the second round. “I can make a cut or miss the cut. You know. Again, it's golf. It's not going to go your way all the time.”
ROUND ONE RECAP
Florida State junior Luke Clanton will have to go low at TPC Scottsdale in his second round to earn his PGA Tour card.
Clanton shot an opening round 3-over 74 with one birdie and four bogeys. He lost over two shots on the green and is currently 124th in the field in strokes gained putting.
Clanton is currently ranked No. 1 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Rankings.
According to DataGolf, there is a 20 percent chance the cut will be 3-under, a 38 percent chance it will be 2-under, and a 28 percent chance it will be 1-under.
PREVIEW
Florida State junior Luke Clanton is on the cusp of earning his PGA Tour this week at the Waste Management in Scottsdale, Arizona. He'll tee off at 9:53 on Thursday with Nick Dunlap and Justin Thomas.
Over the last two and a half years, Clanton has collected 18 points in the PGA Tour U Accelerated program for his performances in amateur and professional events.
On Wednesday, Clanton will earn his 19th point before he even tees it up in Arizona because he has been the top-ranked amateur in the WAGR for 26 weeks. That one point means if Clanton makes the cut at Waste Management, the 20th point will push him over the top.
It would make him the second player to earn his PGA Tour card through the accelerated route; Gorgon Sargent, who is finishing his senior year at Vanderbilt, earned his card in October 2023 as a Junior. Auburn sophomore Jackson Koivun also has 18 points and seems poised to earn his PGA Tour card, too.
Over the last nine months, Clanton has played superb golf. He recorded four top-ten finishes in ten PGA Tour events, including runner-ups in the John Deere and the RSM Classic. He also made the cut in the U.S. Open at Pinehurst in 2024. He has missed as many cuts (2) as he has had runner-up finishes.
Of course, there is the possibility that Clanton misses the cut and remains at 19 points. It seems he will have multiple chances at earning that final point either through another PGA Tour event or if he plays well for Florida State and earns a top ten in the NCAA Championship or wins the Haskins, Nicklaus, or Hogan Award.
There is a bit of time pressure on Clanton; if he doesn't secure the 20th point before the end of the NCAA season in May, he will be tossed into the PGA Tour U program for his senior year, and those points he's earned will transfer into that new race for a PGA Tour card.