On the par-5 15th, he was eyeing a 30-footer for eagle that could have turned his week around. “It didn’t go in, so it doesn’t really matter at the end of the day. I can’t control the golf ball, and the only thing I can do is put it on the best line I can at the best speed. It just happened,” Clanton said of the eagle putt. The top-ranked amateur in the world, currently at Florida State, had already made eight cuts in 10 PGA Tour starts and was just one point away from earning his Tour card through the PGA Tour University Accelerated program.

A birdie on 15 got him to even par, and after another on 17, Clanton found himself 1 under, needing one more birdie to secure a spot past the projected cut line at 2 under. With a booming 345-yard drive on the 18th, he had one last shot, leaving himself 110 yards from the green. His approach was on target, rolling to 20 feet for a birdie. But despite his best efforts, his putt slid just left and stayed out of the hole. Clanton covered his face, seeing the final opportunity slipping away heartbreakingly.

“It’s tough. It’s hard to take. But again, I’m going to walk in my faith and keep understanding that it’s not my time,” he said. “It’s just not my time, man. It wasn’t due this week, it wasn’t due last week, it wasn’t due at Sony. The time will come. It was a great day today. I had a blast. I put up a great fight. I had to make five birdies in my last eight holes and put four up and had a great chance on 18,” continued Clanton. At Sony, he missed the cut too, and then at the Farmers Insurance Open, he finished at T15. He is sure that he’ll soon secure the last and the 20th point so that he can finally get hold of his Tour card, as his junior season ends.

He can do so by making a cut on any of the sponsor exemption events he is playing: the Cognizant Classic (Feb. 27-March 2) and the Valspar Championship (March 20-23). The only issue with this is both these events conflict with Florida State’s schedule. Clanton has already missed the Seminoles’ fall opener and a spring-opening match against Illinois to play with the pros. Cognizant overlaps with the prestigious Cabo Collegiate while Valspar concludes the day before the Valspar Collegiate in Palm City, Florida.

Luke Clanton will now be seen playing at Florida State University’s spring opener, the Watersound Invitational at the Shark’s Tooth Golf Club. The golf community could not help but feel sorry for the close miss. After all, this was not a denied opportunity, but rather delayed.

Fans feel deeply for Luke Clanton

Luke Clanton could have easily made an eagle on the par-5 fifteenth hole. His drive sailed 333 yards, finding the right fairway and leaving him 243 yards to the hole. His second shot was an easy 239-yard approach to the left side of the green, leaving him with a challenging 30-foot, 6-inch putt to the hole. Now this could have easily gone into the hole at the third shot, but his luck did not quite favor him, and it turned out to be a birdie.

Taking to this, one of them wrote, “Gotta feel for Luke Clanton hole 15 needed just half a revolution of his golf ball to make eagle then missed his putt on 18 to make a birdie and maybe earn his PGA tour card if the cut line was -2 he’s going to earn his card eventually just delayed”.

Regardless, being an amateur he did manage to play exceptionally well, and that too at a course as difficult as the TPC Scottsdale. Even Thomas Detry is on top of the leaderboard with just a 12-under after two rounds. So you can imagine the complexity. While his first round did not go very well, with just one birdie in the twelfth hole, and four bogeys throughout, he had a good second round. He carded six birdies and just two bogeys.

A good opening round could have made all the difference. Taking to this, one of them complimented him and wrote, “Luke Clanton is awesome. That was the ultimate cut sweat. He’s got a very bright future.” While another sternly claimed, “He should already have a membership at this point”.

One of the fans even pointed out how the PGA Tour and its rules manage to keep its spectators hooked, and completely on the edge. They wrote, “The story of Luke Clanton today – an amateur who could’ve earned his PGA Tour card by making the cut, only to miss by 1 shot – is why the PGA Tour is special and needs to stay largely in its current iteration”.

Amateur Luke Clanton made it to the WM Phoenix Open through a sponsor exemption, filling the last three spots along with Chez Reavie, and Kevin Streelman. While he could not make the cut, it is needless to say that it was a delight watching him. One of them, with the desire to see him compete more, requested, “More exemptions for Luke Clanton, please.”

What are your thoughts on Luke Clanton losing the opportunity after coming so close? Let us know in the comments section below!