Luke Clanton’s First Round as a Pro is in the Books—Here’s How it Went

When Luke Clanton pegged it for the first time as a pro on Thursday morning, he did so beside World No. 2 Rory McIlroy and Ludvig Aberg. And when the trio signed their cards, the Florida State product was one shot better than the Masters champ.

Not a bad way to start his career.

It might have been the nerves, it might have been the rain that rolled over TPC Toronto, but 21-year-old Clanton got off to a rough start. After an up-and-down for par on the 10th—his first hole of the day—he bogeyed 11, 12, and 16 and was quickly 3 over par.

But he settled in quite nicely.

On the par-5 18th, Clanton striped a tee shot 330 yards down the fairway, leaving him with 237 to the stick. His second found the putting surface, leaving a 35-foot putt for eagle. Spoiler alert: he drained it.

Making your first pro eagle before your first pro birdie is pretty sick, to be honest.

And after making the turn in 1-over 36, Clanton made eight pars and a birdie at the fifth on his way back to the clubhouse to finish off his even-par 70.

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“What a group we had and what an experience we had,” Clanton said after signing his card. “Me and my caddie were having a blast out there. So it was a lot of fun.”

As for playing alongside one of the biggest stars in the sport, Clanton said, “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.”

At even par, Clanton will have a little work to do on Friday to ensure he earns weekend tee times, but overall, a nice first 18 as a pro for the 21-year-old.

For those of you who want to watch his second round, he, Rory, and Ludvig tee off at 12:55 p.m. ET on Friday afternoon.