Luke Clanton had a great summer. He had three top 10 finishes. PGA TOURHe’s set a number of records, including a runner-up finish at the John Deere Classic and a solo fifth-place finish at last week’s Wyndham Championship, and he also made the cut at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst, where he narrowly missed out on low amateur honors after being beaten by Neil Shipley.
But Clanton had one tournament on his calendar for months: the U.S. Amateur this week at Hazeltine Golf Club in Minnesota. He started well, shooting 3-under par in the stroke-play portion of the tournament, a 36-hole competition that determines the final group for 64-player match play.
He tied for 19th place and easily secured a spot in the bracket.
Clanton, the No. 21 seed this week and the top amateur in the world, defeated Dylan McDermott 4&3 in the first round of match play on Wednesday.
He then succumbed to Jackson Buchanan, 1 up, and held a 1 up lead with four holes to play in a back-and-forth battle, but the University of Illinois player won the 15th and 16th holes to regain the lead, then made two pars on the 17th and 18th holes to hold on to the win.
“I know him very well. It’s tough going up against one of my good guys here, but I told him God’s on his side. He’s doing great through it all. He’s very faithful to Christ,” Clanton said of Buchanan after the game.
“We’re both believers, so to see him out there and see him do that — I mean, whatever the outcome was, it was a great game. It was a lot of fun.”
Clanton and Buchanan will be among the best players in the country when the 2024-25 collegiate season begins, and with both players talented enough to make the finals, this early matchup in the championship game was a tough one.
“This is America, what do you expect? It’s not always going to be an easy game,” Clanton added.
“He’s a good friend of mine. He played really well and I don’t think he’s likely to lose, so it’s fun to watch.”
Buchanan faced 16-year-old Tyler Muhinney, who had defeated China’s Paul Zhang 2-1 on Thursday morning. The round of 16 matches began on Thursday afternoon, just minutes after the completion of the round of 32.
Clanton, meanwhile, is back at Florida State and ready to help the Seminoles win a national championship after his team lost to Auburn in the finals last spring.
“I’m really excited to come back and play at FSU,” Clanton said.
“So I’m excited to do it. I’m excited to meet everybody. It’s going to be fun.”
It’s already been an exciting few months for Clanton, despite his early exit from the U.S. Amateur, but the best is surely yet to come for this talented up-and-coming junior who has already proven he’s capable of competing at the world’s top level.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow For more golf articles, follow us on Twitter Jack Mirko In the same way.
