Luke Clanton’s metoric rise continues, earns PGA Tour card at Cognizant

Before last summer, Luke Clanton was a name unfamiliar to many casual PGA Tour fans.

Fast forward to this week, and Clanton is one of the hottest players in golf, and he’s not even a PGA Tour member or even a professional … yet.

After opening with rounds of 67-66 at the Cognizant Classic, Clanton comfortably made his ninth cut in 12 PGA Tour career PGA Tour starts and earned his 20th point in the PGA Tour University Accelerated program, securing his PGA Tour card at the conclusion of this college season.

“It’s been awesome,” Clanton, a junior at Florida State, said. “From the missed cuts to playing well to everything being out here, it’s amazing. I kind of said it again, I think this is my fourth start out here [of the year], and it feels good to get it done now. I got that question asked about 19 points a ton, and it was kind of nerve-racking, everyone saying to get your Tour card, which I love, and the support has been amazing, but to finally get it done is definitely a little bit of ease for sure.”

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Clanton has been on a rocket ship to his PGA Tour card since last summer. The PGA Tour U Accelerated pathway was added to the original PGA Tour University program in 2022 as a way to give college underclassmen a path to PGA Tour membership. Players earn points for winning major college awards and amateur events, playing in PGA Tour events and majors, and participating in national team competitions.

The now-21-year-old burst onto the college scene by winning the Seminole Intercollegiate in March 2024, his first college victory, but didn’t earn his first PGA Tour U Accelerated point until June, when he made the cut at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst and finished T41.

In July, he became the first amateur in 66 years to record back-to-back top-10s on the PGA Tour, including a T2 finish at the John Deere Classic. He also closed out the 2024 PGA Tour season with a co-runner-up finish at the RSM Classic in November. Between June and November, he amassed 17 points, the fastest accumulation of points in the program’s short history.

He earned his 19th point in early February when he reached his 26th week at the top of the World Amateur Golf Rankings and just missed out on his coveted 20th point when his cutline charge at the WM Phoenix Open came up just short.

But at PGA National Friday, after a pre-round huddle and prayer with his family, the South Florida native left no doubt with five birdies on the front nine, including four in a row and then two more on the back, including one on 18, to finish the opening rounds in a tie for 10th at the tournament he grew up watching.

“It’s pretty cool to do it here,” Clanton said. “I’ve watched this event growing up a ton, and to be on 18 walking up and seeing all the people there, it’s breathtaking. I’m just excited to kind of get this journey started and go back and win a national championship with the college team first and then get it started.”

Clanton becomes the second player to earn PGA Tour membership through the PGA Tour Accelerated program. Vanderbilt’s Gordon Sargent earned his PGA Tour card back in October 2023 but elected to defer his membership until the end of his senior season this year. Both Clanton and Sargent will be able to become PGA Tour members when they turn professional at the conclusion of May’s stroke play portion of the NCAA D1 Championship. Both would have status through the 2026 season.

Just like Sargent, Clanton has the option to defer his membership until the end of the 2026 collegiate season and return to Florida State for his senior year.