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Being the best amateur golfer in the world is a huge accomplishment for Florida State junior Luke Clanton. And instead of elevating his professional potential, he returned to Florida State with one goal in mind:
A national title.
“I wanted to win a national championship and that’s my number one goal with this team. I think all these guys are incredible,” said Clanton, a junior from Hialeah. “I think we get a little underrated sometimes and I think this year is going to be incredible.”
Last season, Clanton and the FSU men’s golf team won their historic first national championship. The fifth-ranked Seminoles lost to Auburn in the final match, 3-2.
Clanton hopes to return to Carlsbad, Calif., after missing a national title for the Seminoles by one point. Every time he’s on a golf course or in a gym, he thinks about it.
“It’s one of those things where getting to the Finals and losing is no joke,” Clanton said.
“I think everybody saw the emotion that we felt as a team. And you know, when you train all year to get to that moment, and you don’t get there, it’s tough. I’m not going to lie and say, ‘Oh, that’s awesome. That’s brutal.’”
Although he was a finalist, Clanton is proud of the season he had.
He finished the year with first-team All-American honors, All-Southeast Region selection, All-ACC selection and was a finalist for the Fred Haskins Award as national player of the year.
Over his career, Clanton has a 70.35 GAA, which is the second-lowest in FSU history, behind John Pak’s 69.87 (2019-21).
Luke Clanton Says Being World’s No. 1 Amateur Golfer Is ‘No Joke’
This summer has worked wonders for Clanton in his first experiences on the PGA Tour.
He has played in six PGA Tour events, including the U.S. Open, John Deere Classic and Wyndham Championship. He has finished in the top 10 three times and has qualified for all but one tournament.
At the John Deere Classic, he finished second after finishing 10th at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, becoming the first amateur to finish in the top 10 in back-to-back starts on the PGA Tour since Billy Joe Patton in 1957.
“Yeah, I was a little shocked, no doubt,” Clanton said.
“I mean, when I finished second at John Deere, I was like, ‘Wow, this is pretty cool. It’s a little different than normal and, you know, but again, I’ve been out of racing for 18 years and I’ve seen my mom and dad there. No matter what I do, no matter how I finish, they’re always there for me.”
Clanton felt right at home and felt that playing on the PGA Tour golf courses was no different than playing at Club Corp.
He also put to good use the knowledge he gained from being around other professional golfers he met, such as Scottie Scheffler, Gary Woodland and FSU alumnus Vincent Norrman.
“I was that little kid asking questions pretty much all the time,” Clanton said. “I think there’s so much knowledge that we don’t really know as amateur golfers, and to take that in and then come to college and also have that in practice and preparing for tournaments, it’s pretty incredible.”
Clanton isn’t the Seminoles’ only top amateur golfer.
Senior Lottie Woad also holds that title on the women’s side. Clanton humbly congratulated Woad on her accomplishments and wouldn’t dare challenge her for the top spot as a Seminole.
“She was No. 1 before me, and she’s incredible,” Clanton said. “So, you know, I can’t really say much more than that. She’s done incredible things this summer.”
Clanton was honored by receiving the Mark H. McCormack Medal and being named the 2024 World Amateur Golf Ranking of the Year. It’s an honor he wouldn’t take for granted.
“Being No. 1 in the world is no small feat, and I’m really happy to be there,” Clanton said. “But it’s not as fulfilling as I thought it would be. I think my fulfillment comes from the man above me and the realization that, you know, he’s given me these opportunities and the blessings that I have, and it’s great.”
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Here’s what motivated Luke Clanton to return to Florida State after a stellar summer
