At just three years old, a young Luke Clanton picked up a golf club for the first time.
David, his father, would take him out to the driving range and teach him the game of golf. What once started as a fun bonding experience between him and his son turned into a true passion that led Luke and his family down a road filled with opportunity — eventually leading to his professional debut on June 5 at the RBC Canadian Open.
“If you were to ask me way back when we started this journey, I would’ve always told you then, I thought he’s always going to make it,” David said. “Because that’s just what dads say or dads do. But I really believed it.”
Despite not playing in a tournament until he turned seven, Rhonda, his mother, claimed he was always good at golf, even as a young child.
David worked with him throughout his childhood, essentially being his first golf coach.
“We came up with so many cool ideas and sayings to get us on the right mind frame when it’d come to certain shots, and that was a game changer to us,” David said. “One of my favorite sayings was ‘a purpose in mind’ shot… It’s just automatic, he knows he’s going to be able to make it.”
Although David was passionate about improving Luke’s game, he was always considerate of his son’s perspective. The last thing he wanted to do was push him too far and ruin his love for the game.
“I was always worried about burning him out,” David said. “I’d always be careful. I’d always ask. And if he’s always fired up, he’s ready and fired…Stayed till dark, sometimes had a small light out there just doing some extra shots.”
This fire led Luke to victories at such young ages.
He won the U.S. Kids World Championship at age 11 and his first American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) tournament at age 13. By this point, his mother already had a feeling that he wanted to get to the professional level.
“We have recordings of him at the age of 13 saying we’re going to be out here,” Rhonda said. “So he was pretty sure that’s what he wanted to do… In his head, he was going to be a pro.”
For high school, Clanton attended American Heritage in Florida, where he grew up. In just those four years, he led his team to three state championships.
Eventually, this success led to him earning a spot on Florida State University’s golf team.
Through his first two years as a collegiate golfer, the achievements continued to present themselves. He played nine straight rounds of par or less as a freshman and became the first Seminole to win three consecutive tournaments during his sophomore year. He also set the single-season record for lowest scoring average at 69.33.
However, Luke’s sophomore season finished in devastating fashion after coming up just short of a national championship. FSU fell to Auburn, 3-2, but Luke was the deciding match. He ended up losing on hole 17 in match play, sealing the deal for the Tigers.
But this setback might’ve been the best thing to happen to him.
In the summer of 2024, he qualified for the U.S. Open as an amateur and made the cut, which was the first professional tournament he played in. He also played in four other PGA tournaments ahead of his third year at FSU.
“All these PGA events have been sick,” David said. “I mean to be able to see him compete and be at that level, and looks like he already belongs; it’s so humbling.”
This summer of high-level experience gave him all the necessary tools to take a major leap in his mentality.
“People always ask what happened this last year,” Rhonda said. “And for me, his mental game became so much stronger…He’s at peace. He grew in his faith, which gives you a calmness inside you.”
His mother made it clear that Luke believes “golf is what you do, not you who are,” which has allowed him to play the game freely without fear of failure. With this mindset, he found himself playing in eight PGA events and becoming the second FSU player to win the Ben Hogan Award.
But the most notable achievement came when Luke earned his PGA TOUR Card at the Cognizant Classic on Feb. 28. He was a part of the PGA TOUR University Accelerated program, where he earned enough points (20) to turn pro.
“I’m grateful that God [is] blessing us to be able to see it and be there, it’s so wonderful…I think it’s less than 1% to get on a tour,” David said. “And we did in his junior year, which is unbelievable.”
Despite all the experience he gained, and having a “rookie year without being a rookie,” the real Luke Clanton in his parents’ eyes has not much to do with golf at all.
“He’s genuinely a good person,” David said emotionally. “I’d like to think that I had something to do with that.”
The journey that he’s taken to build his faith and mental space has allowed him to be a humble young man that any parent would be proud of.
“He’s a good human…He’s not just a great player,” Rhonda said. “He’s a really great person. Cares deeply, loves deeply. The five of us are pretty tight-knit as a family…That’s what I want people to know.”
He has two older sisters, Ray and Abby, completing the five individuals that make up this strong Christian family.
“We’ve always carried that wherever we go, and it’s just really nice to see that Luke was able to hang on to that,” David said about their faith. “He even does prayer groups with Scottie [Scheffler].”
The combination of faith and a strong mindset has led him to the highest point in his golf journey, officially being a PGA pro. However, he’d be going into his final collegiate golf tournament with his team at Omni La Costa, in Carlsbad, for the 2025 NCAA Championships.
On May 26, the Seminoles failed to make the top eight by one stroke, allowing Ole Miss to slide into match play. Clanton didn’t have his best in the final round of stroke play and finished with a 76, 4-over par.
Although he was disappointed in his individual performance, what matters most to him is not showing up for his team one last time. Despite his college career coming to a close, the journey for Luke Clanton is only getting started.
“He loves the team. He’s always loved it,” Rhonda said. “It is the ending and the beginning all in the same time.”
Just a week and a half after the college season ended, Clanton arrived in Toronto for his professional debut at the RBC Canadian Open. He was fortunate enough to be paired with the two biggest names in the field for this event, No. 2 Rory McIlroy and No. 6 Ludvig Åberg, according to the Official World Golf Ranking.
For most of the fans following this group, Clanton put on a respectable performance, finishing 1-under-par through the first two rounds. It wouldn’t be enough to make the cut, but it’s just the start of a long career for the experienced rookie.
“We’re proud of what he’s succeeded in and how he’s played…but I’m just proud of what a good human being he is,” Rhonda said.
