Amateur sensation Luke Clanton ends summer with exemptions into U.S. Open, Open Championship

Luke Clanton, a rising junior at Florida State, capped off his scintillating summer by capturing the Mark McCormack Medal.

The award is sponsored by the USGA and R&A, and given to the top male in the 2024 World Amateur Golf Ranking. With the honor, the 20-year-old Clanton receives exemptions into the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont and 153rd Open at Royal Portrush.

Clanton is coming off one of the best runs in professional events by an amateur in PGA Tour history. After reaching the weekend at the U.S. Open—where he became the first amateur in championship history to post back-to-back scores in the 60s with matching 69s in the second and third rounds at Pinehurst—Clanton posted a top-10 finish at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and then nearly won the John Deere Classic, finishing in a tie for second. Clanton also made the cut at the ISCO Championship before contending once more at the Wyndham Championship, using a third-round 62 to vault up the board and log a fifth-place finish.

Set to begin the 2024-25 college season in the next few weeks, Clanton set a Seminole record as a sophomore with the lowest single-season scoring average in school history on his way to earning first-team All-American honors and finishing runner-up at the NCAA Championship.

With 14 points through the PGA Tour U’s Accelerated program, Clanton is just six points away from securing a PGA Tour card. Vanderbilt’s Gordon Sargent has already locked up tour status through the program, with Auburn’s Jackson Koivun (17 points) not far behind.

“Winning the McCormack Medal is an honor I will cherish forever,” Clanton said in a statement. “This award represents not just my efforts, but also the incredible family support I have. This will inspire me to keep pushing boundaries and to pursue my dreams with even greater determination. I’m proud to join the ranks of those who have achieved this distinction.”

Previous McCormack Medal recipients include Jon Rahm, Matt Fitzpatrick, Patrick Cantlay and Joaquín Niemann.