Rocket Mortgage: Sensational beginner Luke Clanton appears to make historical past

Florida State sophomore Luke Clanton burst onto the scene Saturday on the Rocket Mortgage Basic as he posted the rating to beat.

He signed for a 7-under 65 to take a seat at 14-under and just some photographs behind the leaders.

Clanton recorded six birdies, an eagle and one bogey on the day. He was 5-under by way of 11 holes earlier than he dropped a shot on the twelfth.

“We stayed tremendous calm and tremendous within the technique of what we’ve been doing,” Clanton stated after his spherical on Saturday.

“I believe that’s one factor I’ve been battling the final couple of months is just not getting forward of my recreation and looking out into the long run, however right this moment, I believe we did such a superb job of not attempting to pressure the birdies on the market, however we simply stayed actually in our course of right this moment.”

Via three rounds, Clanton leads the sphere in strokes gained off the tee with +4.378. He’s additionally No. 7 in strokes gained placing, choosing up +4.346 on the remainder of the sphere.

Nevertheless, in Saturday’s spherical alone, he leads in strokes gained off the tee (+1.491), placing (3.801) and whole (+4.712).

His flat stick was phenomenal because the Seminole golfer made 117 toes of putts through the third spherical. Nevertheless, his eagle on 14 was a veteran-like shot that confirmed what sort of guts he has.

“I smoked a driver approach down there, and that was in all probability one of many tougher ones I hit all day,” he stated. “Had the proper 5-iron quantity with left-to-right wind. I checked out Jason and stated this might be actually good if I hit this good, and I flushed it. I stated, “Be the precise membership,” and he stated it. Hit it shut and tapped in for eagle, so it was fairly candy.”

His 7-under 65 put him proper into competition to win a PGA Tour occasion. Can the 20-year-old make historical past this week? He made the reduce on the U.S. Open and completed tied for forty first. Clanton was the second-lowest beginner behind Neal Shipley, who made his skilled PGA Tour debut this week.

“To have the ability to be out right here and even say I’m in competition to win a PGA TOUR occasion’s fairly nuts. It’s fairly cool, man,” he stated.

“I shot 7 underneath right this moment, it was superb, however we might have made a pair extra birdies on the market. My recreation plan has been the identical all week, pound driver as arduous as I can, get it down there and make a number of putts — it’s been good.”

The final beginner to win on the PGA Tour was Nick Dunlap, who received the American Specific in January. He grew to become the first beginner since Phil Mickelson in 1991 to win on Tour.

Photograph by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Pictures

Now, Clanton appears so as to add his title to the historical past books.

“Me and Nick go approach again so it’s superior to see him try this,” Clanton stated. “It’s cool, man. I believe amateurs now, we’re so good. I believe lots of guys have nice possibilities of profitable out right here and to be in competition with someday to go is fairly candy.”

The Florida State sophomore had among the finest springs with three consecutive victories on the Seminole Intercollegiate, the Valspar Collegiate Invitational and the Lewis Chitengwa Memorial.

Clanton recorded 10 top-10 finishes in 14 tournaments this previous season, and he completed at par or much less in 30 of his 40 rounds. He’s at present ranked No. 6 within the World Newbie Golf rating system.

If the Ben Hogan semifinalist wins on Sunday, it is going to be the primary time in 79 years that two amateurs have received on the PGA Tour. Cary Middlecoff and Fred Haas have been the final to win in the identical season in 1945.

Clanton will doubtless be in one of many closing teams on Sunday, as his 65 pushed him 22 spots up the leaderboard.

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Taking part in Via. For extra golf protection, comply with us @_PlayingThrough on all main social platforms. You may also comply with her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.