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USA Today
5 days ago
- Business
- USA Today
Luke Clanton is ready for his PGA Tour pro debut at this week's RBC Canadian Open
Luke Clanton is ready for his PGA Tour pro debut at this week's RBC Canadian Open Luke Clanton spent the better part of two days crafting his introductory remarks for his Tuesday pre-tournament press conference ahead of his professional debut at the PGA Tour's RBC Canadian Open. Not leaving anything to chance, he scribbled it down on paper. 'Today my dream becomes a reality, a professional golfer on the PGA Tour,' he began before proceeding to acknowledge that he had stood on many shoulders and accepted many helping hands from coaches, mentors, his college teammates at Florida State University and the various junior circuits where he cut his teeth. The 21-year-old newly minted pro then spoke glowingly of his family and the sacrifices they made. Clanton grew up in Hialeah, Florida, outside of Miami. He's the youngest son of Rhonda, a Delta flight attendant for four decades who home-schooled him until ninth grade, and David, a landscaper who started his workday before sunrise so he could meet Luke at Country Club of Miami, a hardscrabble municipal course that served as his proving ground. 'What my dad did at an early, young age created me to be the person I am now,' Clanton said. 'My dad took that step of pushing me to my limits when I was a kid and making me train as hard as I can and hit golf balls in the dark with a flashlight. Those kinds of things are created to make a person mentally hard, mentally ready for these kind of big moments.' Clanton has already proven he can compete in the big leagues. He notched four Tour top-10 finishes in 2024, highlighted by runner-up finishes at the John Deere Classic and RSM Classic, becoming the first amateur since Jack Nicklaus in 1961 with three or more top-10 finishes on Tour in a year. Had amateurs been allowed to earn non-member FedEx Cup points, Clanton would've finished No. 90 in points last season. Clanton, who just completed his junior season at Florida State, secured his 20th point and PGA Tour membership following a made cut at the Cognizant Classic in March. Clanton capped off his time as a Seminole as the top-ranked player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking with seven individual collegiate titles, including four this season, and was named the recipient of the 2025 Ben Hogan Award, one of three player of the year awards in college golf. 'There are certain people that their golf ball makes a different sound when they hit than others, and his is definitely one of them,' said Justin Thomas after playing two rounds with Clanton at the WM Phoenix Open in February. 'He wasn't shy and wasn't scared of the moment. So I know he's going to come out here ready to go.' Clanton has already been well compensated for his bright future from the likes of Nike, which allowed his mother to officially retire this week. 'I told her, 'You're not going to have to work a day in your life.' She's like, 'No, I'll just work for you,' ' Clanton recalled. 'It's something that every kid chases for is to retire their mom and dad and help them out with everything. It's amazing.' Clanton likely could have banked even more money in the short term had he signed with LIV Golf. Asked in his press conference about his decision to join the PGA Tour, he didn't address any details about an offer from LIV, saying, 'I want to play the PGA Tour, pretty simple. I want to play against the best, I want to compete in majors, and that's it. Simple.' An earlier answer may have been more telling: 'It's not about the money. It's not about any of the fame. It's about competing with these guys on Tour. It's something I've chased for my whole entire life.' Clanton isn't the only recent college grad making his first start as a Tour member this week at the RBC Canadian Open, held for the first time at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley's North Course in Caledon, Ontario. Vanderbilt's Gordon Sargent also earned membership through PGA Tour University Accelerated, while North Carolina's David Ford finished as the No. 1 player in the 2025 PGA Tour University Ranking. All three players will have status on Tour through the 2026 season. For Clanton, playing as a professional, a childhood dream come true, still felt surreal as he packed his passport for his first trip north of the border. 'I got on the flight, and I was like, dang, this is my first PGA Tour start ever,' he said. 'It still hasn't really hit me.'
USA Today
22-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Still struggling, Joel Dahmen gets a pick-me-up with first PGA Tour ace at Charles Schwab
Still struggling, Joel Dahmen gets a pick-me-up with first PGA Tour ace at Charles Schwab FORT WORTH, Texas — After missing the cut in four of his last PGA Tour starts, Joel Dahmen was in need of a pick-me-up at this week's Charles Schwab Challenge. He got just that during the first round of play at Colonial Country Club, when his 7-iron on the 186-yard 13th hole came screaming back to the cup. it marked his first hole-in-one on the PGA Tour. Dahmen, 37, was the breakout star of the first two seasons of the Netflix documentary 'Full Swing.' He struggled last season, recording just one top-10 finish in 30 starts. He needed to make two 6-foot putts at the RSM Classic – one to make the 36-hole cut and the other to wrap up a final-round 64 – to finish No. 124 on the season-long FedEx Cup standings and retain his fully-exempt Tour card for this season by the narrowest of margins. And although he posted two top-10 finishes before March 1, Dahmen has fallen back into hard times, missing the cut at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in early May and then the alternate-field ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic two weeks ago. Despite making the ace on his fourth hole of the day (he started on the back nine), Dahmen posted three bogeys and made the turn at an even-par 36.
Irish Daily Mirror
18-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Daily Mirror
PGA Championship star who will inherit billions being helped by wife
Maverick McNealy, the 29 year old PGA Tour sensation and heir to a multi-billion-pound fortune, is set to compete in the PGA Championship this weekend, cheered on by his wife. Born into affluence as the son of Scott McNealy, co-founder of Sun Microsystems which sold for a staggering £7.4 billion in 2010, Maverick grew up surrounded by luxury. A small portion of the family's vast wealth was used to purchase a grand five-bedroom, seven-bathroom mansion for him and his three brothers. However, McNealy opted to pursue his love for golf rather than entering the business world, a route that could have potentially earned him millions or even billions with his father's support. In 2017, he met his wife, Maya, who has since been a steadfast source of support, closely following his golfing career. Their lives intersected when McNealy visited the physical therapy clinic where Maya was employed in Las Vegas. Six years on, they tied the knot in a ceremony officiated by his brother, Scout McNealy. McNealy, who also possesses a pilot's license, lauded his wife for her sacrifices, as she often travels to watch his tournaments. When he secured victory at the RSM Classic last year, Maya "knew her job" and immediately phoned McNealy's parents to share the joy of his career achievement, reports the Express. McNealy has been candid about the significant impact Maya has on his professional life, stating: "Maya knew her job, if it went well today, to get them on the phone as soon as possible walking off 18. I'm the luckiest guy ever. Maya was chatting with me when I was maybe a little bit - being a little bit dramatic but a little bit frustrated." He recounted a motivating conversation with her, saying, "She said, 'Well, if you knew you were going to win like in six weeks, would you do anything different?'" His subsequent victory proved the point of their discussion, as he confessed, "So six weeks I did get my win. No, I wouldn't have done anything different." Alongside golf, Maya showed her own golfing prowess by participating in the Par 3 contest at the 2025 Masters with McNealy. When discussing his leisure activities, Maya gave insight into his aviator ambitions while speaking to the PGA Tour in 2023: "[He's] Watching airplane videos any time he doesn't have a golf club in his hand." Her admiration for his work ethic came through as she observed, "I don't know how he has the time or the mental patience to get better at both things consistently ... but he's one of the most determined people I know." She shared an amusing reaction to McNealy's aviation announcement: "I told her, 'By the way, I'm going to start getting my pilot's license, and she looked at me like I had three heads," which only adds to his fans' appreciation of his multifaceted aspirations. This article was originally featured on the US Mirror.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
A dot in the putter's sweet spot has Maverick McNealy in the thick of it at RBC Heritage
Sometimes the smallest changes can net the biggest results. Take, for example, Maverick McNealy, who tweaked his putter ever so slightly, opting for one with a dot rather than a stripe down the back. The result? McNealy led the field with 125 feet in putts made during the third round of action at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, Ga., and his 65 put him just two shots off the lead heading into the final round of action. McNealy, whose first PGA Tour victory came down the coast at Sea Harbor in the 2024 RSM Classic, sits at 13 under after 54 holes while leader Si Woo Kim is at 15 under. Andrew Novak and Justin Thomas are both at 14 under. Advertisement "It got fun and interesting. Putter is back, which is great, after a short hiatus. Made a couple really good ones, maybe missed one or two that I wish I had. Overall, very happy with the round of golf today," McNealy said. "I switched to a new putter. It's basically the exact same thing. It's an Odyssey 22. The only thing we changed is, instead of going from a line on the back of the putter, we just did a dot right on the sweet spot of the putter on the top line. For whatever reason, I'm lining it up super square. "Last week at the Masters, I had a few short putts that I just didn't feel really comfortable with my alignment, especially starting the ball outside the hole. Tried this, was lining it up way more square, and everything inside of six feet has been coming off really nicely." Apr 19, 2025; Hilton Head, South Carolina, USA; Maverick McNealy on two green during the third round of the RBC Heritage golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images Maverick McNealy is now in the top 10 McNealy is now in the top 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking, something that looked a lock when he turned pro, but is a bigger accomplishment after he battled back from injury. In early 2023, McNealy tore the anterior sterno-clavicular ligament in his left shoulder during the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am. During the second round, while playing the seventh hole at Monterey Peninsula Club's Shore Course, he remembers a long wait in cold weather and then making a 'funny swing,' in which his angle of attack got too steep, leading to being stuck underneath and having to shallow late to get his shoulder back in position. Advertisement But he capped off a huge 2024, one in which he finished in the top 25 in 12 of 28 starts, by winning the RSM Classic. He's followed with an equally strong 2025, one that could get an exclamation with a win at RBC. Either way, he's thrilled to be in the top 10, barely trailing names like Viktor Hovland and Justin Thomas. "My entire career I've held the top 10 players as my benchmark of what do I need to do to improve? What are the top 10 guys doing that I'm not? How do I work on my game? What areas of my game need improvement to get there?" he said. "That being said, I'm the worst player in the top 10 right now, so I've got a long ways to go. I've got to play some really good golf to keep up with those guys. I also don't have the 10th-best resume on the PGA Tour. I still have a lot I want to do and accomplish in this game. "But it was really validating to see that number, and maybe a good week here, we can keep improving it." Advertisement And as for the proximity to his first PGA Tour win — both scenic towns along the coast — McNealy said he might have to take action due to his results. "I think I need to buy a house on the water because I play pretty well when I can see the ocean: Torrey Pines, here, Sea Island, even Hawaii," he said. "I don't know, I think sea level golf is something I grew up doing. I was just familiar with that heavy wind. I really do love it here. This is one of my favorite places to go, golf aside, on Tour. So I have a lot of fun when I come here." This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Maverick McNealy's putter is leading RBC Heritage charge
Observer
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Observer
Ryan Fox earns first PGA title with playoff chip-in
South Carolina, US: New Zealand's Ryan Fox completed a furious comeback on Sunday by prevailing in a three-man playoff at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic in South Carolina to win his first PGA Tour event. "I always felt like my game was good enough to compete with the best in the world, and I got to show it a bit today," Fox said. "To get that win is extra special." Fox fired a 5-under-par 66 on the day to finish at 15-under 269 at Dunes Golf and Beach Club, forcing a three-way tie with Canada's Mackenzie Hughes and Harry Higgs. In the playoff, the 38-year-old chipped in from the edge of the green on No 18 to secure a birdie, knock Hughes and Higgs out of contention and earn a spot in this week's PGA Championship in Charlotte. "It changes the plans a little bit," he said. "I might have a little bit of a hangover tomorrow." Fox had never finished in the top three on the PGA Tour — three top-10 finishes served as his career highlights — and he credited his ability to focus through his nerves and stick to his process. "I know that's really cliche, but it's cliche for a reason. It works," Fox said. "Go up, focus on just trying to hit the shot I'm going to hit and see what happens from there." May 11, 2025; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA; Ryan Fox putts on 18 to put himself in contention for a tie breaker during the final round of the Myrtle Beach Classic golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images Fox began the day three strokes behind leader Carson Young. When he reached the 17th tee, he trailed Hughes by two shots. He registered a birdie at 17 to pull even with Higgs and get within one shot of Hughes. That birdie came after birdies on Holes 3, 10, 13 and 15 as Fox registered no bogeys on the day. On the par-4 No 18, with the tournament on the line, Hughes suffered a bogey to set the stage for the playoff. The defeat on the first extra hole was Hughes' first PGA Tour playoff loss. Both of his Tour wins — the 2016 RSM Classic and 2022 Sanderson Farms Championship — had come in playoffs. Hughes finished with six birdies and two bogeys in shooting a 4-under 67. Higgs started strong with three birdies over his first four holes, but he was even-par the rest of the way with two more birdies and two bogeys to finish 3 under. "Yeah, I've got nothing to hang my head on here," Higgs said. "I proved a lot to myself really today and the last couple of days, especially playing in the rain." Kevin Yu of Chinese Taipei finished a stroke off the pace at 14 under after his 6-under 65. Alex Smalley tied for fifth with Denmark's Niklas Norgaard at 13 under. Young dropped into a tie for 13th after shooting a 2-over 73. — Reuters
