US golden boy Luke Clanton can take Ludvig Aberg charge to Ryder Cup big stage

Daily Record

5 days ago

Superkid makes pro debut in exactly same place as Swede and can repeat his trick
Lightning Luke Clanton is walking exactly the same path as Ludvig Aberg.
Now the hotly-discussed topic is whether or not the new golden boy of golf in the United States can emulate the Swede and make a remarkable charge straight to The Ryder Cup.
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Clanton has teed it up as a professional for the first time at the RBC Canadian Open having earned his card by accruing 20 PGA Tour University Accelerated points between last year's US Open and this year's Cognizant Classic.
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The 21-year-old had incredible success on the PGA Tour as a college golfer and notched four Top 10 finishes in 2024 which made him the the first amateur since Jack Nicklaus in 1961 with three or more in a year.
Clanton is now on the big stage as a fully-fledged pro and already there is talk of forging his way into Keegan Bradley's side for the clash against Europe in September.
If that seems unlikely, the template is there with Aberg. The Scandinavian's brilliant college career saw him rocket into the professional ranks and take his first steps exactly two years ago at the Canadian Open, just like Clanton now.
And Aberg was in Rome just three months later to assist Europe to success in Rome after captain Luke Donald took a calculated gamble on his brilliance.
Clanton now has a pathway to do the same with doors open for spots at this stage in Bradley's side for the New York blockbuster and, ironically, Clanton and Aberg are paired together with Rory McIlroy for the opening two days in Caldeon.
The kid is taking it one step at a time and said: 'The expectations are always going to be pretty high for sure.
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"But I think I have a great team behind me with the process that we have. It's the first start as a pro, so it's a little bit nerve-wracking.
"We've handled ourselves really well through my amateur career. And we're going to try to do the same as a pro.
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'It's an unbelievable moment. We've been waiting for this moment, for a couple months now.
"But I was so focused with the team in college golf and trying to win national championships and trying to play the best I can. It was definitely hard.
"But I'm excited to get my pro debut going and see how it goes. But it's just amazing to be here. It's a dream come true to be out here in general to play on the PGA Tour.'
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Although Clanton finished two shots worse off than Aberg on his first day, he outgunned McIlroy by one with his level-par effort and admits it was a thrill as he stated: 'Being paired with Rory is no joke.
"The crowds are amazing. Watching him hit drivers and iron shots, it's cool.
"I watched him growing up my whole life, so I guess you could say he's like the Tiger Woods of my life.
'I didn't sleep very much. To meet Rory and play with him and be out there with Ludvig as well, two great ball strikers.
"First pro start with Rory McIlroy, it's definitely a day to remember.'