World No.1 amateur Luke Clanton has announced he has signed an endorsement deal with Nike Golf.
The Florida State University junior revealed the news in a video on his Instagram account which shows footage of him as a baby before taking viewers through a highlights reel of some of his early years in golf, including playing as a youngster and standing beside the Payne Stewart statue at Pinehurst No.2, mimicking his famous celebratory fist pump after he won the 1999 US Open.
It was at the same Major where Clanton really announced himself to the world – and at the same course – when he finished T41 at the 2024 edition.
However, that was just the start. The following month, he became the first amateur in 66 years to finish in the top 10 in successive PGA Tour events, carding T10 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic then almost winning the John Deere Classic before finishing runner-up behind Davis Thompson.
He then finished fifth at the Wyndham Championship before another runner-up at the RSM Classic. That saw him head into the top 100 of the world rankings for the first time.
The new year has started in a similar vein for Clanton, and he came agonizingly close to earning a PGA Tour card in February’s WM Phoenix Open.
Clanton was in the running for a PGA Tour card thanks to the PGA Tour University Accelerated program, which awards points based on players’ accomplishments in college, amateur and professional tournaments.
The 21-year-old needed one more point to secure his card, and he would have earned it had he made the cut. However, needing a birdie on the final hole to reach the weekend, the all-important putt rolled narrowly wide of the hole.
Despite that disappointment, it is surely a matter of when and not if Clanton secures his card, while he seems set for a glittering professional career whenever he leaves the amateur game behind – a view clearly shared by Nike Golf.
Clanton’s deal means he follows in the footsteps of many superstars who have linked up with the brand through the years, with the likes of Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Tommy Fleetwood and Nelly Korda currently signed with them.
However, the most famous of all is Tiger Woods, who signed his Nike contract shortly after he turned professional in 1996 after winning that year’s US Amateur, and stayed with the company for 27 years.
Of course, only time will tell if Clanton, who signed a NIL deal last July, goes on to have a similar career to the huge names on Nike’s current roster, but if the way he has taken to the big tournaments is anything to go by, there’s surely an excellent chance he will.
