Luke Clanton, You Have Our Attention at the RBC Canadian Open

Well, here we are. One of the most-talented youngsters in our game has made it to the show. It very much feels like when your favorite baseball team calls up a kid from AAA that you’ve been waiting to see on the big squad.

So, without further ado, welcome to the PGA TOUR, Luke Clanton.

Now, he’s no stranger to the game’s biggest stage. He’s made 13 starts in the last year and has done pretty well for himself. He tied for second at both the John Deere Classic and RSM Classic in 2024, and then finally earned his card with a T-18 performance at his hometown event, the Cognizant Classic. In all, he finished inside the top 20 six times as an amateur.

But on Thursday, he’ll tee it up as a professional. The slate is clean and it’s time to get to work.

It won’t take him very long to have a “Welcome to the TOUR” moment. He’s playing alongside World No. 2 and Career Grand Slam winner Rory McIlroy and the Swede Machine, Ludvig Aberg, for the first two rounds of the RBC Canadian Open. He’s getting thrown right into the fire. The galleries are going to be massive, cameras will be everywhere, and the spotlight will be bright.

But I have a feeling the kid’s going to be just fine.

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“It's something you dream for always, constantly,” Clanton said during his pre-tournament press conference on Tuesday. “To kind of now be here and to call myself a professional is a little bit—honestly, a little bit weird at first because I've always been an amateur. It's amazing. I'm just excited to come out here and compete. It's not about the money. It's not about any of the fame. It's about competing with these guys on Tour. It's something I've chased for my whole life.”

As for his chances this week, I think he could be part of the conversation come Sunday afternoon. He’s dominated the college ranks this spring—yes, I get the skill gap between NCAA and the TOUR, but winning is winning—and has shown he’s able to get into contention at this level already.

Plus, I think his game fits this track pretty well. TPC Toronto is a long par-70, measuring in at 7,389 yards. Driving distance is going to be a huge advantage, and Clanton is averaging 312.4 yards off the tee this season. If he had enough rounds to qualify, he’d rank 14th on TOUR in that department.

That’ll play.

When asked what success would look like this week, Clanton said he’s focused on staying “in his process.”

“It's my first pro start. Again, I have 13 starts under my belt, which is amazing to have, especially coming on the PGA TOUR. But, again, I think it's something where we're just going to try to stay in our zone as much as I can," Clanton said. "There's a lot of great players in this field obviously, and to be able to compete against them as a pro, it's amazing. We're just going to stay in our process, and if it comes out with a great finish, it would be great.”

I can't wait to watch the kid get after it for the first time as a pro. Let's see what he's got.