Former world No. 1 amateur Luke Clanton made his professional debut on the PGA Tour on Thursday, and he did plenty to impress playing partners Rory McIlroy and Ludvig Aberg at TPC Toronto
Luke Clanton impressed on his pro debut(Image: Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
Luke Clanton made his professional debut on the PGA Tour on Thursday, and the fact that he was placed in the marquee group alongside Rory McIlroy and Ludvig Aberg at the Canadian Open sums up how highly rated he is.
The 21-year-old honed his craft at Florida State and earned his tour card through the PGA Tour University Accelerated program. Clanton made a name for himself with four top-10s on tour as an amateur, including runner-up finishes at the John Deere Classic and RSM Classic.
After finishing his junior year at FSU, Clanton took up the offer of a PGA Tour card, and he made his bow at TPC Toronto on Thursday. After a scrappy start, he fought back from three dropped shots to finish with an even-par 70, one shot better than playing partner McIlroy.
It was an experience the former world No. 1 amateur will never forget, playing alongside an idol in five-time major champion McIlroy and a rising star in Aberg. Clanton admitted he struggled to sleep on Wednesday night after learning he was teeing it up with the reigning Masters champion.
“I don’t know if you really call this work,” he joked when asked about his first round as a pro. “I mean, we play golf for a living, and it’s amazing.
“What a group we had and what an experience we had. Me and my caddie were having a blast out there, so it was a lot of fun. I hit it really well and putted it really good. Just a few [poor] tee shots here and there, but it was good.”
Clanton admitted that being grouped with McIlroy led to a sleepless night before the opening round(Image: Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
He continued: “Being paired with Rory is no joke. The crowds are amazing. Watching him hit drivers and iron shots, it’s cool. I watched him growing up my whole life, so I guess you could say he’s like the Tiger Woods of my life, and it’s really cool.
“Didn’t sleep very much. I was playing with Rory … I’ve never experienced anything like that. It was so cool to meet Rory and play with him and be out there with Ludvig as well, two great ball strikers. First pro start with Rory McIlroy, it’s definitely a day to remember.”
Clanton got a rude awakening on his pro debut with three bogeys in his opening seven holes, but he showed tremendous guts and s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 to fight back to level-par. His revival started at his ninth hole of the day, the par-five 18th, where he made a brilliant eagle.
The Florida native found his groove from there and made a birdie at the par-four fifth. Chances to get into the red passed him by late on his second nine, but he doubtless would have taken a card of 70 on his first day in the paid ranks.
With the afternoon wave in the early stages of their opening round, Clanton holds a tie for 74th place, although that is likely to improve as the round nears its conclusion.
He made no secret that nerves contributed to his shaky start. “I said to my caddie, the range session, putting, chipping, everything felt fine, even walking up to the first tee, shaking [McIlroy’s] hand, everything felt fine. Once I took that club back, I couldn’t feel it. So it was a new experience for sure. It’s cool to be thrown in the fire right away, so it’s awesome.”
