Luke Clanton enters U.S. Amateur match play with impressive PGA tour credentials

Luke Clanton is back in Minnesota for the second time in a month, only this time the expected world’s ranked No. 1 amateur player arrived by private plane just in time for the 124th U.S. Amateur championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club.

He did so late Sunday night after he finished fifth in the PGA Tour’s regular-season ending Wyndham Championship in North Carolina. It was his third top-10 finish this Tour season.

He’s the first amateur to do that since a guy named Jack Nicklaus in 1961.

Clanton, 20, missed the cut at the 3M Open in Blaine three weeks ago after he tied for 10th at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit and tied for second at the John Deere in consecutive weeks. After a week’s Olympics break, he led briefly at the Wyndham on a weather-delayed Sunday when he played 39 holes over two-plus rounds before he jetted off for Minnesota.

That’s where he shot rounds of 69 on Monday afternoon at Chaska Town Course and 70 on Tuesday morning at Hazeltine National Golf Club to tie for 19th among the 312-man field during two days of qualifying stroke play. He comfortably made Wednesday’s round of 64 in match play that leads to Sunday’s champion.

“It’s pretty cool,” Clanton said. “It has been tiring for sure, but to do what I did the last couple days — stay in there and make match play — was pretty awesome. It’s tough to play 39 holes, then go out and play two pretty hard golf courses.”

Asked if he has caught up on his sleep yet, less than 48 hours after he celebrating his third top-10 PGA Tour finish, Clanton said, “Not too much, not much at all. I’m about to go do that right now. … I’m fine. I’m all good.”

A rising junior at Florida State, Clanton finished two shots from low amateur at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst in June. The three top 10s followed and Clanton is back at his second consecutive U.S. Amateur, a year after he was upset in the round of 64.

Despite all his recent success, Clanton said he remains fully committed to return to Florida State for the chance to win the NCAA men’s team title after the Seminoles lost to Auburn in the 2024 match play final.

He’s expected to earn his PGA Tour card while at Florida State as part of the PGA Tour University program.

Meanwhile, Clanton calls the U.S. Amateur his favorite championship of them all.

“It’s best amateur event in the world, it’s the best people in the world playing here,” he said. “It’s match play, anything can happen. No matter what you do, you’ve got to play great golf for seven straight days. I don’t know any other tournament that can do that.”

Clanton played the first two days of stroke play in a pairing with Vanderbilt’s Gordon Sargent and Auburn’s Jackson Koivun. Those three are the top-three rated amateurs, with Clanton expected to rise from third to first when the latest rankings are released Wednesday.

“It’s cool, we had a big following,” Sargent said. “Both those guys are good players. We feed off each other a little bit. We’re all good friends. It’s so fun to have a familiar group and the fans are definitely involved. They’re walking down the fairway right behind you. The USGA does a good job making it interactive. Yeah, it’s cool.”

Clanton said he intends to block out all that’s swirling around him, or as much as he can.

“I get a little too caught up in results sometimes,” Clanton said. “This week I really I want to make sure I have fun with it. You’re at the U.S. Amateur. … I’m going to stay in my zone as much as I can. I’ve had a long week. I’m going to go back, eat a bunch of food and sleep.”

Jimmy Ellis, a 39-year-old from Florida, shot a 9-under-par 61 on Chaska Town Course and became the first mid-amateur — post-college player — in 11 years to earn medalist honors. He earned a spot in the U.S. Am by winning the Florida amateur earlier this summer.

He called his 61 — one shy of Billy Horschel’s record 60 shot in 2006 — “just a blind squirrel, honestly” and said, “I might not even win my club championship.” He made 10 birdies and a bogey to earn the top seed for match play.

* Gunnar Broin, a former Minnetonka High School standout who plays for Kansas State, was even par after medal play, good enough to make Wednesday morning’s 14-man playoff for the final 11 spots to get into the top 64.

* Players with Minnesota ties missing the cut were Ben Warian of Stillwater and the Gophers (+1), Jacques Wilson of Minnetonka (+2), Sam Udovich of Cretin-Derham Hall (+6), Nate Deziel of East Grand Forks (+11) and Jacob Pedersen of Minnetonka (+14).

* Wednesday’s tee times have been moved up two hours to 8 a.m. because of the potential for inclement weather. Gates open at 6:30 a.m. The playoff starts at 7:30 a.m.