Luke Clanton simply achieved one thing that hasn’t been executed in practically 70 years.
Dylan Buell/Getty Photographs
This season has been the 12 months of the novice in skilled golf.
First, Nick Dunlap shocked the golf world by turning into the primary novice to win on the PGA Tour since 1991. Then Neal Shipley received over followers because the low novice at each the Masters and U.S. Open whereas three youngsters had been concurrently turning heads on the Korn Ferry and PGA Excursions.
Now because the summer time warmth has turned on, the PGA Tour is shortly turning into conversant in 20-year-old Luke Clanton.
After briefly contending and ending up with a T10 end final week on the Rocket Mortgage Basic in his first common PGA Tour begin, Clanton was in it till the top this week.
After opening with 63 on Thursday, Clanton went nuclear once more Sunday. The rising junior at Florida State went out in 33, however got here dwelling in 30 on the power of birdies on every of the final three holes and 4 of the final 5.
That earned him a co-runner-up end and a chunk of historical past. Along with his second top-10 end is back-to-back wins, Clanton grew to become the primary novice to do this on the PGA Tour since Billy Joe Patton in 1958.
He had no thought of the importance of his end.
“I didn’t even know that both. I promise you, man, I’m fairly easy in relation to all this,” Clanton stated. “That’s superior to even notice that. Making slightly bit extra historical past is fairly candy little question. Couple extra occasions developing so hopefully we are able to win one.”
This 20-year-old novice has 2 refreshing phrases for the professional golf world
The novice was electrical down the stretch Sunday. Whereas Davis Thompson had put the match on ice with 4 holes to play, Clanton may have secured a spot within the Open Championship had he separated from co-runners-up C.T. Pan and Michael Thorbjornsen, who himself simply completed a standout profession at Standford and earned a PGA Tour card by way of PGA Tour College.
Pan in the end bought the second of the 2 accessible spots on the John Deere by advantage of his greater Official World Golf Rating.
Clanton claimed he didn’t know in regards to the potential spot at Royal Troon, however he would have had lots of people fooled by the best way he fist-pumped after draining his ultimate birdie putt from practically 25 toes on 18.
“It simply form of proves once more to me I do know I can win out right here,” he stated. “I believe I don’t need to sound cocky or something, however I needed to show to myself I can do it. After final week, being up there and in competition and this week being hopefully in second place, no matter it’s, it simply form of reveals me if I hold grinding and doing my factor I’ll be all proper.”
Clanton, the No. 1 Newbie on the earth made a daring assertion earlier within the week that he believes about 20 amateurs within the school ranks at the moment may win on the PGA Tour. Many shook it off, even after Dunlap’s historic win in January.
But when Clanton continues to contend on Tour over the summer time, or extra school gamers throw up loopy scores, it could not have been that far off.
