Top ranked amateur Luke Clanton finishes runner-up at RSM Classic
November 24, 2024 | by Justin Golba of AmateurGolf.com
see also: Luke Clanton
Clanton made a bogey on No. 18 to finish one shot behind Maverick McNealy and record his second runner-up finish
In his ninth PGA Tour start, Florida State standout junior Luke Clanton records his second runner-up finish in his pro golf career at the RSM Classic. Clanton recorded rounds of 68-65-68-66 to finish 15-under.
After a solid 2-under 68 in the first round on the Seaside Course, Clanton propelled into the top five after a second-round 7-under 65 on the Plantation course. Clanton followed that up with a third-round 2-under 68 to get to 11-under for the week.
In the final round, Clanton birdied holes No. 8, 10, and 11 to within one shot of the lead but dropped back with a three-putt bogey on No. 13. He birdied No. 14 and 16 to get to 16-under.
He entered No. 18 tied at 16-under with Echavarria, but a bogey from both players saw them fall to 15-under and into a tie for the lead with McNealy and Berger. A birdie from McNealy on the final hole saw Clanton finish one shot back.
After making the Cut and finishing in the top ten, Clanton has 17 PGA Tour U Accelerated points. He needs 20 points before the end of this college season to earn his Tour card.
Clanton is ranked No. 1 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Rankings and has now made seven of eight cuts on the PGA Tour, with four top-ten finishes and three top-five finishes.
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THIRD ROUND RECAP
With 18 holes remaining, Florida State standout junior Luke Clanton is T7 at 11-under and three shots off the lead at the RSM Classic. Clanton has shot rounds of 68-65-68 to get to 11-under, two rounds on the Seaside Course, and one round on the Plantation course.
SECOND ROUND RECAP
Luke Clanton will head to the weekend in contention and just two shots back of the lead after a second-round 7-under 65 at the Plantation Course at the RSM Classic. Clanton is 9-under and T4, while the leader, Patrick Fishburn, is 11-under.
Clanton shot a first-round 2-under 68 on the Seaside Course to put himself in a good position to make the cut at T34. He jumped 30 spots up the leaderboard during his second round.
Clanton recorded four birdies and no bogeys in his round, but a double bogey on No. 13 after hitting his second shot in the water saw him fall to 2-under.
PREVIEW
For the eighth time in his career, Florida State standout and top-ranked amateur Luke Clanton will tee it up on the PGA Tour. Clanton will play in the 2024 RSM Classic at the Sea Island Golf Club, the Plantation and Seaside Course, in St. Simons Island, Ga.
Clanton rose to the top of the men’s ranking after a Round of 64 victory at the U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine National Golf Club.
This summer, Clanton became the first amateur to record consecutive top 10s on the PGA Tour since 1958. A week after finishing T-10 in the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic, the Florida State All-American finished runner-up in the John Deere Classic. He most recently recorded a solo fifth-place finish at the Wyndham Championship in North Carolina.
Clanton also made his U.S. Open debut at Pinehurst and became the first amateur in championship history to record consecutive rounds in the 60s with back-to-back 69s in the second and third rounds. He would finish T41 and second among all amateurs.
During this past collegiate season at Florida State University, Clanton finished fifth in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship and fifth in the NCAA Stanford Regional, leading the Seminoles to the NCAA Championship, where they fell to Auburn in the championship final.
Clanton shared runner-up honors with five other golfers in the NCAA Division I Championship at the Omni La Costa Resort's North Course, one stroke behind winner Hiroshi Tai of Georgia Tech. Clanton went 2-1 in match play, losing to Auburn's JM Butler in the championship match, 2 and 1.
The Florida State junior will be paired up with former Texas Tech standout and defending RSM Classic champion Ludvig Aberg and Matt McCarty in the first two rounds, teeing off at 9:23 a.m. ET on Thursday.
Clanton is joined in the field by fellow amateur Jacob Modleski, who earned a spot in the field after winning the Jones Cup Invitational back in January. Modleski will play with Zecheng Dou and Kevin Dougherty, teeing off at 11:02 a.m. ET on Thursday.
Clanton shot a final round 4-under 66 and is currently in the clubhouse at T1 with Nico Echavarria. Maverick McNealy and Daniel Berger are also T1 at 15-under and are heading to No. 18.
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