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With help from Jameis Winston and PGA stars, Luke Clanton already making news on Tour

DSC07065 (1)by: Matt LaSerre06/04/25laserrematt
Luke Clanton hits an iron shot on hole eight of Seminole Legacy (Matt LaSerre/Warchant)
Luke Clanton hits an iron shot on hole eight of Seminole Legacy (Matt LaSerre/Warchant)

Just over a week after competing with his FSU teammates in the NCAA Championships, now former Florida State golfer Luke Clanton will be making his pro debut at the RBC Canadian Open on Thursday morning.

The PGA Tour has already made it a point to highlight the emerging star, putting out a video on Wednesday of former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jameis Winston wishing him luck during his media availability.

“Luke, first off, congratulations my brother and Go ‘Noles,” Winston said in the clip. “So excited to see you set it off right with your first PGA Tour event. Man, go out there and do your very best one stroke at a time, have the mental capacity of one stroke at a time. Always believe in yourself. I believe in you. Blessings and prosperity to you and your career.”

The PGA Tour rookie was clearly very excited to get the message, explaining he has watched all of Winston’s highlights while at Florida State.

The Tour also put out a video of top pros Min Woo Lee, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth and former Tallahassee resident Ludvig Aberg talking about Clanton’s game.

“A very confident player,” said Min Woo Lee, the world’s No. 34 player. “He’s got a lot of assets there that have obviously shown results.”

“There’s certain people that their golf ball makes a different sound when they hit than others, and his is definitely one of them,” two-time Major winner Thomas said.

Aberg, who practiced at Seminole Legacy Golf Club during his first year on Tour, has had several chances to see Clanton up close.

“It seemed like he always picked the right shot to play,” Aberg said. “He was sort of always on the right side of the pin, and I could tell that he really knows golf.”

“He’s got all the shots,” Spieth added. “He’s a shot-maker. He’s got that intensity, he’s got kind of that ‘it’ factor, where when the moment gets big, he zones in. … He’s somebody I expect to be out here for a long time.”

The former Florida State star, who won the Ben Hogan Award as the top golfer in college, was already placed in a marquee group for the first two rounds of the Canadian Open. He is paired with this year’s Masters champion and career Grand Slam winner, Rory McIlroy, and Aberg.

The featured group will tee off at 7:40 a.m. ET on Thursday and 12:55 pm ET on Friday. Every shot from that group will be broadcast on ESPN+.

Also on Wednesday, Clanton was named a Golfweek first-team All-American.

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