Florida State's Luke Clanton Secures PGA Tour Card with Strong Performance at Cognizant Classic
Luke Clanton secured his PGA Tour card after an impressive performance at the Cognizant Classic, marking a significant milestone in his meteoric rise in golf.
The Florida State junior achieved his 20th point in the PGA Tour University Accelerated program after making his ninth cut in 12 PGA Tour career starts. Clanton shot rounds of 67-66 at PGA National, continuing his remarkable journey that began last summer.
His ascent to PGA Tour status includes several notable achievements:
- T41 finish at the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst
- First amateur in 66 years to record back-to-back PGA Tour top-10s
- T2 finish at the John Deere Classic
- Co-runner-up at the RSM Classic
- 26 weeks at the top of the World Amateur Golf Rankings
Clanton becomes the second player, after Vanderbilt's Gordon Sargent, to earn PGA Tour membership through the Accelerated program. He will be eligible to join the Tour when he turns professional after the NCAA D1 Championship in May, with status through 2026. Alternatively, he can defer his membership until the end of the 2026 collegiate season.
"It's pretty cool to do it here," Clanton said about securing his card at PGA National. "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."