PGA TOUR cards within reach for amateurs Luke Clanton, Jackson Koivun at Farmers Insurance Open
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LA JOLLA, Calif. – The two top amateurs in the world could earn their PGA TOUR cards by the end of the weekend.
Florida State junior Luke Clanton and Auburn sophomore Jackson Koivun inched closer to their TOUR cards after both made the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open. By making the cut, each earned their 18th point in PGA TOUR University Accelerated, two points shy short of the requisite 20 points to earn a PGA TOUR card. They can earn two more points if they finish in the top five at Torrey Pines this week. And if they do, a TOUR card will be theirs.
Koivun finished late Thursday night, birdieing two of his last three holes to finish even-par, one shot better than the 1-over cutline. Clanton had to return Friday morning to finish, after the second round was suspended due to darkness. Clanton was 2-under through two rounds.
“It's not too far out of reach,” Koivun said. “I think if I give it my all, play good the next two rounds I can maybe sneak in that top five.”
Koivun sat in a tie for 40nd while Clanton was tied for 13th.

Jackson Koivun curls in a birdie putt after nice approach at Farmers
It’s a much more realistic proposition for Clanton. The world amateur No. 1 admirably battled the difficult conditions on South Course, playing the first 16 holes in 1 under before play was suspended. He bogeyed the 18th to shoot even-par 72.
Koivun did well to salvage his round. The closing birdies put him on the right side of the cutline. He shot 4-over 76. Clanton is just two shoes out of a top-five finish, while Koivun is four shots behind.
Clanton and Koivun have taken markedly different paths in their pursuit of a TOUR card. Clanton has become a regular on the first page of TOUR leaderboards, earning 13 of his 18 Accelerated points via PGA TOUR play. The world No. 1 amateur has notched four top 10s in nine starts, including runner-up finishes at the John Deere Classic and The RSM Classic. He finished solo fifth at the Wyndham Championship.
Meanwhile, Koivun amassed one of the best freshman seasons that college golf has ever seen. He won the Division I Outstanding Freshman Award last year, and became the first freshman to sweep the trifecta of Player of the Year awards — Nicklaus, Haskins and Hogan. Those awards netted him 11 of his 18 points.

Luke Clanton climbs into contention with birdie on No. 7 at Farmers
Koivun won twice in his freshman season, including the SEC Championship. He finished in the top 10 in 12 of his 13 stroke-play starts and had the lowest adjusted scoring average (67.3) in Division I. He earned the clinching point in Auburn’s semifinal match in the NCAA Championship, which went to extra holes. Then, he earned Auburn’s first point in the NCAA Golf National Championship against Florida State and made the cut in his first TOUR start at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday.
If either player earns their TOUR card through Accelerated, they will have the option to take up membership after the college season wraps this spring. Both players could also choose to defer their membership for one year (Koivun, as a sophomore, could defer for two years and wait until he finished his senior season).
Gordon Sargent, the only college golfer to earn his card through the Accelerated Program, deferred his status for a year. He plans to turn professional after the completion of the 2025 college season and join the PGA TOUR.
Sargent might have company, and it could be confirmed as soon as Saturday night.