There’s a new No. 1 on this planet of beginner golf.
Florida State junior Luke Clanton, who has dazzled on the PGA Tour this summer time with three top-10s, together with a T-5 final week on the Wyndham Championship, moved up two spots to the highest of the World Novice Golf Rating on Wednesday morning, a day after wrapping up stroke-play qualifying for the U.S. Novice in a tie for nineteenth. Clanton comfy superior to match play, which begins Wednesday at Hazeltine Nationwide.
“I didn’t even know that, in order that’s fairly cool,” Clanton mentioned Tuesday after being knowledgeable that he’d bounce each Gordon Sargent and Jackson Koivun, each of whom he performed alongside the final two days. “There’s so many good amateurs on the market, and to have that No. 1 spot now’s fairly cool, however once more you simply need to play good golf. I’m going to maintain doing what I do and it’s not going to vary an excessive amount of with my mindset or something. I’ve been working for that, but it surely’s not the most important aim.”
Profitable the Havemeyer Trophy on Sunday would seemingly high it – and it could transfer Clanton to 17 factors in PGA Tour College Accelerated, a program that awards PGA Tour playing cards to underclassmen who attain 20 factors by attaining numerous elite benchmarks (Clanton gained two factors by shifting to No. 1 in WAGR, and that was after he added factors for making the reduce and ending top-10 at Wyndham).
Clanton performed 39 holes on Sunday in Greensboro, North Carolina, earlier than hopping on a personal flight that evening to Chaska, Minnesota. Within the final three days alone, he’s 75 holes, however Clanton has shrugged off the fatigue narrative.
“Lots of golf, but it surely’s good,” mentioned Clanton, who’s planning on a heavy dose of ice baths and stretching this week. Earlier than his Spherical-of-64 match towards Dylan McDermott, Clanton was sporting a wrap round his midsection to maintain his decrease again muscle mass heat.
In Tuesday’s second spherical, Clanton made a few drained swings however in any other case regarded sharp. He began the day by canning a 40-footer for birdie at Hazeltine’s par-4 tenth gap and afterward that first 9, on the par-5 fifteenth, he hit a mini-driver to about 12 toes and made that putt for eagle. At 3 beneath, he clipped Sargent, who additionally made match play, by two photographs and Koivun, who did not advance, by 5.
Sargent is the one participant who can retake No. 1 in WAGR this week and earn the McCormack Medal, which is handed out after the U.S. Novice and comes with begins in each Opens subsequent yr. Clanton can lock it up, nevertheless, by reaching the semifinals. And if Clanton wins not less than one match, Sargent would want to advance to not less than the semis himself.
Getting into the knockout stage, there’s no query that Clanton is the person the beat.
He now has the rating to again that up, too.
Simply don’t anticipate it to get to his head.
“I’m simply going to remain in my zone,” Clanton mentioned. “I’m going to be sincere with you, I’m fairly easy with regards to this. I’m not too heavy into these items. Golf’s not my life. I believe lots of people get obsessive about it, and I attempt to ensure that I don’t get obsessive about it as a lot, and notice that I’ve a lovely girlfriend, an incredible household. You get too obsessive about golf generally, it turns into somewhat onerous.”
