Two Sundays ago, Luke Clanton walked off the 18th green at Pinehurst No. 2 in tears. In an intra-pairing battle with Neal Shipley for U.S. Open low-amateur honors, Clanton stuffed his final approach from the wiregrass, yet he needed three putts from there. And some 15 minutes later as Shipley headed to the interview room with the silver medal secured, he crossed paths with Clanton, who was on a beeline to his courtesy car.
It was the second heart-wrenching finish in a matter of weeks for Clanton, the 20-year-old Florida State standout who lost the deciding match to Auburn’s J.M. Butler at the NCAA Championship.
“Still hurts, no doubt,” Clanton says.
No matter what transpires this Sunday, though, Clanton likely won’t feel defeated.
Clanton is making his debut in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event at this week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club – and with one round remaining, the amateur’s got a chance to win.
“To be able to be out here and even say I’m in contention to win a PGA Tour event is pretty nuts,” Clanton said Saturday afternoon after firing a 7-under 65. A couple hours later, Clanton discovered that his 14-under total through 54 holes leaves him tied for seventh and just three shots off the lead, which is shared by Akshay Bhatia, who at 22 years old is already a two-time Tour winner, and Aaron Rai, the 29-year-old Englishman who was T-19 at Pinehurst two weeks ago.
Clanton carded six birdies and an eagle as he posted the third round’s lowest score. His eagle came at the par-5 14th hole, where Clanton flagged a 5-iron to 3 feet from 227 yards.
“From start to finish, I think we stayed super calm and super in the process of what we’ve been doing,” Clanton said. “I think that’s kind of one thing I’ve been struggling with the last couple months is not getting ahead of my game and looking into the future, but today I think we did such a good job of not trying to force the birdies out there.”
Clanton doesn’t have to look far to see what the future could hold. He’s just a shot clear of Nick Dunlap, who was in Clanton’s recruiting class a couple years ago. Dunlap, of course, turned pro midway through his sophomore season at Alabama after winning the American Express back in late January and becoming the first amateur to win on Tour in 33 years.
Dunlap was ranked No. 1 in NCAA Division I golf when he made the jump; Clanton finished this past season atop those rankings, winning three times and earning first-team All-America honors.
Maybe preemptively, Clanton, a rising junior, was asked how long he planned to remain an amateur. He wasted no time in replying, “All four years.”
Clanton’s backstory is somewhat unique in these upper echelons of the sport. He’s from Hialeah, Florida, a blue-collar city just outside of Miami, and grew up playing at Country Club of Miami, a scruffy public facility that has artificial greens in its practice area. Clanton also didn’t receive his first full set of new golf clubs until he was 12 years old.
What a chapter Sunday could be if Clanton were to follow in Dunlap’s footsteps.
“I think amateurs now, we’re so good,” said Clanton, who was one of two amateurs to make the cut this week (Virginia junior Ben James is T-38). “I think a lot of guys have great chances of winning out here, and to be in contention with one day to go is pretty sweet.”
And despite so much seemingly on the line now, nothing changes in Clanton’s mind.
“My game plan,” he sayd, “has been the same all week: Pound driver as hard as I can and get it down there, and make a few putts.”