Palm Beach Gardens, Florida – Florida junior Luke Clanton just needs to advance at Friday’s Cognitive Classic to earn a PGA travel card. That will never doubt it.
Clanton ran four consecutive birdies on the first nine of PGA National, the last as his father caught a bunker on a gallery call and used a birdie to catch 5 under 66, reaching the weekend with ease.
This gave him the last point he needed to earn in the PGA Tour University acceleration program after the NCAA championship ended on May 26 to win the PGA Tour card. If he chooses not to turn the Pro, the card will be in his case.
“It’s cool to do it here,” Clanton said. “I’ve seen this event growing up and going to go when I was 18 and seeing everyone there, which is amazing.
“I’m so happy to start this journey and then go back and win the national championship with the college team first and then start.”
The 21-year-old Clanton held the tour card, although his job was not done. His birdie from the bunker on the 18th hole put him in a score of 133, with just four, and had a lot of scrambling for the weekend.
For Cranton, that’s nothing.
In his 12 matches in the PGA Tour approved competition, Cranton has finished two runner-ups and two other top ten. They all contributed to his rapid rise at the PGA Tour University, which began five years ago and provided college players with a direct path to the major leagues.
Clanton missed layoffs in three PGA Tour games this year. He tied for 15th place in the Farmers Insurance Open, putting him on the cusp of the card. He admits that the last point has started to become a burden.
“It feels good to finish it now,” he said. “I had a problem with about 19 points, which is a little disturbing – everyone said to get your travel card, I like, and the support is amazing – but finally getting that done, it’s definitely a little bit of ease.”
He had to go back to the fairway and bogey in the second hole, which probably added to the nerves. That didn’t last long.
He hit the 319-yard drive and set up two birdies on the third of the 5-5-point five. He hit the wedge 10 feet in the birdie on the fourth hole. He made a 20-foot bird on the fifth stroke. He then hit a bunker violently in the tree and beat one for the fourth bird.
Clanton opened a chip at the finish line of Chapter 14. It was followed by a 18-foot par putter. He did something wrong, his week is not over yet.
“We have two days left in this event and we’re going to be locked out and try to go out and win this,” Clanton said.
The PGA Tour University course begins for seniors. The acceleration program begins in November 2022 – after the first season of Saudi-backed Liv Golf, it begins for juniors. They can accumulate points to lay off employees on the PGA Tour, advance in major achievements and other achievements and make layoffs. One card is earned with 20 points.
Vanderbilt’s Gordon Sargent was the first to get a card through the acceleration program. He chose to return to school this year.
Cranton scored 14 points through the game, including his 41st-point tie at the U.S. Open. He scored five points for being number one in the world amateur rankings and remained first for at least 26 weeks.
He played two rounds with Ryder Cup player Daniel Berger, who also went to Florida. Berger was two shots.
“He’s a great player,” Berger said. “He hit a mile. His short game was great. He’s really hot. He has a bright future.”
