How amateur Luke Clanton could earn PGA TOUR card at Sony Open in Hawaii

Luke Clanton’s game is pro-ready. The world No. 1 amateur has been a familiar presence on TOUR leaderboards since last summer – while staying at Florida State University to pursue a national championship.

At this week’s Sony Open in Hawaii, Clanton could ensure that a TOUR card is waiting for him after the upcoming spring semester.

Clanton, who is competing at the Sony Open on a sponsor exemption, has accrued 17 PGA TOUR University Accelerated points, just three points short of the requisite 20 points to earn a PGA TOUR card. With a top-five finish at Waialae Country Club, the Florida State junior would earn three points. (A top-10 finish would earn two points; a made cut would earn one point.)

Click here for more on PGA TOUR University Accelerated and how collegiate golfers earn points.

A top-five finish might seem lofty, but Clanton is plenty capable. The South Florida native made eight TOUR starts in 2024, highlighted by top-five finishes at the John Deere Classic (T2), The RSM Classic (T2) and the Wyndham Championship (solo fifth). He broke onto the scene at the U.S. Open in June, nearly chasing down Neal Shipley for low amateur honors and ultimately finishing T41 at Pinehurst No. 2. That was shortly after Clanton led the Seminoles to a runner-up finish at the 2024 NCAA Championship, falling to Auburn in the final by a 3-2 margin.

Clanton felt the intensity of that defeat and didn’t want to abandon another run at a championship, he has said in recent months. He has maintained this sentiment despite ample tastes of TOUR contention – like at The RSM Classic in November, where he made bogey on the 72nd hole to finish one back of winner Maverick McNealy.

He believes he can win on TOUR, but he also wants a national title.

“I think every time we step out here, the one goal we have is to win,” Clanton said after The RSM Classic. “I think PGA TOUR U's been a great opportunity for all of us as college players who have these kind of talents and go pro sooner, so it's awesome.”

Vanderbilt’s Gordon Sargent became the first player to earn a PGA TOUR card via PGA TOUR University Accelerated, securing his 20th point during his junior season in October 2023. Sargent could have received his card last spring, but he elected to return to Vanderbilt for his senior season and can accept TOUR membership after the upcoming spring semester.

Clanton, who is pacing to earn another PGA TOUR University Accelerated point on Feb. 5, by reaching 26 weeks as the world’s top-ranked amateur, could also defer his TOUR card for a year if he elects to return to school.

Will he have the chance to make that decision? He’s on the doorstep.