Luke Clanton became the first player on the PGA Tour since 1958 to have two consecutive top-10 finishes on the circuit while playing as an amateur. He previously finished within the top 10 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and then tied for second place at the John Deere Classic.
However, despite his phenomenal performance, the American golfer returned home without any monetary reward due to his amateur status. It is important to note that the PGA Tour only awards prize money to professionals.
Even if an amateur wins the tournament, they do not receive any money but are awarded trophies and other perks associated with the victory. Earlier this year, amateur Nick Dunlap won The American Express. However, he also did not receive any prize money for his victory but did receive his PGA Tour card.
Luke Clanton played fabulously among the professionals and maintained his dominance from the beginning to the conclusion of the event. He finished with a score of -24 after four rounds.
The 20-year-old started his game on Thursday, July 4, with a round of 8-under 63. He teed off on the first hole and shot four birdies on the front nine, along with a bogey. He had a bogey-free outing with five birdies on the back nine to score 63.
Luke Clanton was impressive as the tournament progressed and shot another round of 4-under 67 on the second day. He carded four birdies, an eagle, and a double bogey in the second round. This was followed by another round of 4-under 67 on the third day. He made five birdies and just a bogey to score 67, followed by a bogey-free final round on Sunday.
He shot eight birdies in the fourth round to secure second place on the leaderboard in a tie with Michael Thorbjornsen and C.T. Pan. Davis Thompson won the PGA Tour event with a record-breaking score of -28.
"I can win out here"- Luke Clanton remains optimistic about his game after a runner-up finish at the John Deere Classic
Luke Clanton is optimistic about his game and confident he can win on the PGA Tour following his tied-for-second-place finish at the John Deere Classic. The amateur golfer opened up about his performance after the conclusion of the tournament, saying (via Golf Digest):
"I mean, it just kind of proves again to me I know I can win out here. I don't want to sound cocky or anything, but I wanted to prove to myself I can do it. After last week, being up there and in contention and this week … it just kind of shows me if I keep grinding and doing my thing I'll be all right.”
Meanwhile, the World No. 3 amateur golfer will continue to play as an amateur for now and has no plans to start his professional journey anytime soon. However, fans can expect to see him compete with professionals more often this year, as he holds a sponsor's exemption to compete at the upcoming 3M Open Championship, scheduled to take place later this month.