Amateur golfer tells Amanda Balionis how much PGA Tour feat means

Rising golf star Luke Clanton, 20, is living the dream on the PGA Tour this summer, seizing every opportunity that comes his way, including a chat with CBS Sports’ renowned presenter Amanda Balionis.

The young American golfer found himself in an enviable position during Sunday’s John Deere Classic, tied for 10th as he entered the final stretch. He went on to finish tied for second and became the first amateur to score top-10 finishes in back-to-back starts since the legendary Billy Joe Patton did it in 1958.

Speaking to Balionis before his final round, Clanton couldn’t hide his excitement: “It’s pretty surreal,” he said. “I mean, walking up 18 knowing that, if I make a birdie here, I’ll be within a couple of shots. And of course, there’s a bunch of guys playing well this week, but [if I] put in a good round tomorrow maybe something cool could happen. But again, it’s just cool to be in contention. This is what we train for, this is what we do and to be there again, it’s awesome.”

Hailing from Hialeah, Florida, Clanton chose to stay close to home for college, making the journey to Florida State. In his second college season, he’s already smashing records, holding the lowest single-season scoring average in the school’s history at 69.33 and bagging a First-Team All-American title.

Florida State’s hopes were dashed in the NCAA national championship game on May 30, as Clanton was defeated in a crucial fifth match against Auburn’s J.M. Butler. Despite the disappointing loss, it opened up an opportunity for the young golfer to test his skills on the PGA Tour.

In his first start at the U.S. Open, Clanton delivered a rather amateur scorecard, finishing eight-over-par and tied for 41st.

However, the third-ranked amateur golfer bounced back to form just two weeks later, posting a -14 score at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in the greater Detroit area. With such impressive success over the past fortnight, most players would be eyeing a permanent spot in the pros – Clanton is closing in on the needed points tally from PGA Tour University Accelerated, which promotes amateurs to tour status based on certain achievements.

However, last week, the proud Seminole outlined his intention to complete all four years of college.

Clanton also expressed his satisfaction with the relatively modest NIL opportunities in college golf, a sentiment that struck a chord with many fans amid unprecedented financial investments into the sport. Several golfers have abandoned the prestigious PGA Tour in recent years for the emerging, Saudi-backed LIV Golf league, a move most vehemently criticised by Rory McIlroy, who has been romantically linked with Balionis in recent months.

“I think it’s enough for a college student, for sure,” Clanton expressed this weekend. “I think it’s – I don’t really need a lot of money right now. I’m 20 years old, still at Florida State University. It’s enough to handle what we have here and to be able to travel. I think it’s good.”

“I play golf to play golf,” Clanton went on to say at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. “I think being able to play golf with your buddies every single day, it’s something you don’t get very much. I’ve got 12 dudes on that team that I absolutely love, so it’s awesome.”

* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story.