Luke Clanton is an American amateur golfer who rose to stardom as a result of his appearance at the 2024 US Open and his graduation through the PGA Tour U Accelerated program. But if you don't know much about Clanton or would like to find out a little more, keep reading...
LUKE CLANTON FACTS
1. Clanton was born on November 5, 2003 in Hialeah, Florida.
2. Clanton grew up playing golf at the 36-hole, public-access Country Club of Miami - located in his home town.
3. His father is called David and is a golf instructor/landscaper while his mother is called Rhonda who is a flight attendant. Luke has two sisters called Ray and Abby.
4. He went to American Heritage high school in Plantation, 10 miles west of Fort Lauderdale. While there, he won three Florida High School State Championships (2019, 2021, 2022).
5. Clanton grew up playing with US Kids junior clubs until his father, David, bought his son his first full set of clubs during middle school. He now uses TaylorMade P760 irons.
6. He won the North & South Amateur at Pinehurst in 2022, three years after making his US Amateur debut at the same location, age 15. It was at that event where Clanton met his caddie, Jason Wiertel.
7. Clanton attended Florida State University to study social science. In the 2023-24 season, he was a First Team All-American as a sophomore.
8. He set the Florida State single-season scoring average record (69.33) - bettering efforts by the likes of 1993 PGA Championship victor Paul Azinger, four-time PGA Tour winner Daniel Berger, and five-time Major champion, Brooks Koepka.
9. Clanton reached World No.1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking in August 2024 and remained there for at least the next seven months. He was later awarded the Mark H. McCormack medal.
10. He was 20 years old when competing at his first US Open - Pinehurst, 2024. Clanton was one of 16 amateurs in the field that year. He finished T41st.
11. From age 10 onward, Clanton hosted US Open watch parties at his house. A decade later, he was able to take his buddies to Pinehurst to watch him play.
12. He played a practice round with World No.1 Scottie Scheffler at the 2024 US Open where they reportedly discussed life, golf, and their faiths.
13. Clanton won 12 amateur golf titles since 2017.
14. His lowest competitive round at college was a seven-under 64 on his way to winning the Lewis Chitengwa Memorial in April 2024.
15. Clanton entered the final round of the US Open averaging 325.8 yards and was the seventh biggest hitter in the field.
16. In July 2024, he became the first amateur since 1958 to finish in the top-10 in back-to-back PGA Tour events, finishing T10th at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and runner-up in the John Deere Classic. Later in the year, he was runner-up once again at the RSM Classic.
17. In February 2025, Clanton earned his PGA Tour card through PGA Tour U Accelerated after making the cut at the Cognizant Classic. He opted to remain at FSU for a few more months in order to try and win the NCAA D1 Men's Golf Championship.
