2024 must be a dream year for Luke Clanton. The 20-year-old was busy creating history in his collegiate golf career by becoming the first Seminole to ever win three tournaments back-to-back. Then, he got the opportunity to tee off on the PGA Tour greens, and he did not disappoint; instead, he made the most out of the opportunity.

Even though Clanton has yet to make a breakthrough on the American circuit, the prospect of him being very close to winning his maiden victory on the Tour seems plausible, especially after the third round of the John Deere Classic. Despite a bogey on the 9th hole, the amateur managed five birdies, finishing his round with a 4 under 67. Keeping him in contention with a T6 rank on the leaderboard.

In an Instagram post shared by the PGA Tour on its official Instagram account, Luke Clanton can be seen admitting that what he has been experiencing at the John Deere Classic—being able to compete with the big names in golf and doing well on the greens—is unbelievable. He said, “Still trying to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.” The 20-year-old got off to a fantastic start at the JDC, adding 9 birdies to his scorecard on the very first day of the tournament. He expressed his gratitude towards his achievements while continuing to describe his unbelievably amazing experience: “Look at what I’m doing, I’m playing golf right now on the PGA Tour. It’s pretty nuts. Even the caption said, “@pgatouru’s @lukeclanton continues to live out his dream @johndeereclassic.”

With his striving attitude and humble nature, the 20-year-old has been making a lot of fans. This was quite evident by the flurry of praise in the comment section of the Instagram post about his attitude on and off the greens.

Luke Clanton’s magic on Silvis greens earns applause from golf fans

Despite the absence of big names like Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy from the Illinois-based event, the field at the JDC includes past champions like defending champion Sepp Straka and Jordan Speith, who has won the event twice and holds the record for being the youngest victor. The young talent is ahead of both golfers, as they both hold T53 and T12 spots on the leaderboard after the third round, respectively. A user praised Clanton’s performance at the event and expressed,“Love to see this! Would be awesome for this guy to win!”

The Florida State University student showed that he was not only skilled in golf but also exuded the mentality of a true sportsman when, during the second round, he bounced back with back-to-back birdies on the 7th and 8th hole after carding a double bogey on the par-4 6th hole. His composure and performance surely ignited flames of hope in one fan’s heart, as they commented, “You’ll have to 🔥”

Earlier this year, Clanton qualified at the US Open and finished at T41, tying with eight golfers, including Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Speith. Praising him for his achievements, a user said, “So amazing to see him achieve this at such a young age.” Moreover, he made his PGA Tour debut at the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic and finished T10, just four strokes behind the winner, Cam Davis. Another comment implying his continuous good performances on the PGA Tour said, “going to be a problem once he goes pro.”

Do you think Luke Clanton will be able to secure his first PGA Tour win at the John Deere Classic? Let us know your thoughts below.