3 best things I saw during John Deere Classic
2. Amateur Luke Clanton does something for the first time since the 1950s
It’s not very often that we see an amateur excel on the PGA Tour, but when they do these stories tend to take over the golf world. And that’s exactly what happened with amateur Luke Clanton.
We see amateurs have solid rounds quite regularly on tour, but it’s not often we see them contend all week long. But Clanton did just that and found himself inside the top 10 almost the entire week.
Luke Clanton continues to make waves.
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 5, 2024
He eagles the par-4 14th after driving the green.
The @FSUGolf sophomore is one shot back @JDClassic. pic.twitter.com/d0HhcLoPSj
Heading into the final round, Clanton was tied for 6th place and five shots back. Clanton shot the second-lowest score of the day at 8-under par, which moved him up to a tie for 2nd at 24-under. So not only did Clanton shine all week long, he actually did something for the first time since the 1950s.
With Clanton’s top 10 finish this week and last week at the Rocket Mortgage, he is the first amateur with back-to-back top 10 finishes on the PGA Tour since Billy Joe Patton in 1958.
4 birdies in his final 5 holes!@PGATOURU's Luke Clanton is the first amateur to finish in the top 10 in back-to-back TOUR starts since 1958 👏 pic.twitter.com/WM2HnQpCyh
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 7, 2024
Clanton has also earned himself another PGA Tour start in the future thanks to his second straight top 10 finish, and I for one am excited to see just how long the 20-year-old can ride this momentum.