Two Sundays in the past, Luke Clanton walked off the 18th inexperienced at Pinehurst No. 2 in tears. In an intra-pairing battle with Neal Shipley for U.S. Open low-amateur honors, Clanton stuffed his ultimate method from the wiregrass, but he wanted three putts from there. And a few quarter-hour 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 automobile.
It was the second heart-wrenching end in a matter of weeks for Clanton, the 20-year-old Florida State standout who misplaced the deciding match to Auburn’s J.M. Butler on the NCAA Championship.
“Nonetheless hurts, little doubt,” Clanton says.
It doesn’t matter what transpires this Sunday, although, Clanton doubtless gained’t really feel defeated.
Clanton is making his debut in a PGA Tour-sanctioned occasion at this week’s Rocket Mortgage Basic at Detroit Golf Membership – and with one spherical remaining, the newbie’s acquired an opportunity to win.
“To have the ability to be out right here and even say I’m in rivalry to win a PGA Tour occasion is fairly nuts,” Clanton mentioned Saturday afternoon after firing a 7-under 65. A pair hours later, Clanton found that his 14-under complete by means of 54 holes leaves him tied for seventh and simply three photographs off the lead, which is shared by Akshay Bhatia, who at 22 years outdated is already a two-time Tour winner, and Aaron Rai, the 29-year-old Englishman who was T-19 at Pinehurst two weeks in the past.
Clanton carded six birdies and an eagle as he posted the third spherical’s lowest rating. His eagle got here on the par-5 14th gap, the place Clanton flagged a 5-iron to three toes from 227 yards.
“From begin to end, I feel we stayed tremendous calm and tremendous within the strategy of what we’ve been doing,” Clanton mentioned. “I feel that’s sort of one factor I’ve been combating the final couple months will not be getting forward of my recreation and searching into the longer term, however at the moment I feel we did such a very good job of not making an attempt to power the birdies on the market.”
Clanton doesn’t must look far to see what the longer term might maintain. He’s only a shot away from Nick Dunlap, who was in Clanton’s recruiting class a pair years in the past. Dunlap, in fact, turned professional halfway by means of his sophomore season at Alabama after profitable the American Categorical again in late January and turning into the primary newbie to win on Tour in 33 years.
Dunlap was ranked No. 1 in NCAA Division I golf when he made the soar; Clanton completed this previous season atop these rankings, profitable thrice and incomes first-team All-America honors.
Perhaps preemptively, Clanton, a rising junior, was requested how lengthy he deliberate to stay an newbie. He wasted no time in replying, “All 4 years.”
Tee occasions and pairings for the ultimate spherical at Detroit Golf Membership.
Clanton’s backstory is considerably distinctive in these higher echelons of the game. He’s from Hialeah, Florida, a blue-collar metropolis simply outdoors of Miami, and grew up taking part in at Nation Membership of Miami, a scruffy public facility that has synthetic greens in its follow space. Clanton additionally didn’t obtain his first full set of recent golf golf equipment till he was 12 years outdated.
What a chapter Sunday might be if Clanton have been to comply with in Dunlap’s footsteps.
“I feel amateurs now, we’re so good,” mentioned Clanton, who was one in all two amateurs to make the lower this week (Virginia junior Ben James is T-38). “I feel lots of guys have nice possibilities of profitable out right here, and to be in rivalry with at some point to go is fairly candy.”
And regardless of a lot seemingly on the road now, nothing modifications in Clanton’s thoughts.
“My recreation plan,” he sayd, “has been the identical all week: Pound driver as exhausting as I can and get it down there, and make just a few putts.”
