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The Next Chapter of Nike Golf Starts with Luke Clanton
Back in late January, there were signs that Nike Golf was preparing to stage a comeback. After Tiger Woods’ long-term contract ran its course, questions began swirling about the Swoosh’s staying power in the sport. But when the brand made a surprise splash at the PGA Show—unveiling an expansive and clearly expensive booth filled with apparel, shoes and larger-than-life banners—the golf world took notice.Sure, Nike retained names like Scottie Scheffler, Tony Finau and Nelly Korda. But who would carry the next generation? Who could bring both on-course results and, potentially one day, off-course presence?That’s where Luke Clanton enters the picture.The 21-year-old Florida State standout has been a fixture on college leaderboards for the past few seasons, leading FSU through deep postseason runs and earning All-American honors in the process. With a compact, powerful swing and an undeniable maturity about him, Clanton has the skills to execute and the confidence to mix it up with the world’s best players. Last summer he went on an unprecedented run where he finished inside the top 10 at consecutive TOUR events, the first time an amateur had done that since 1958.Now he’s ready to turn pro as Nike Golf’s newest signing (with an announcement video to boot). And while he may not be a household name yet, the partnership already feels meaningful. “Like a dream come true,” he said of putting on the Swoosh for the first time at late February’s Cognizant Classic.Weeks before making his PGA TOUR debut at the RBC Canadian Open, Clanton sat down with Hypegolf to talk about the moment and what it means to step into the next chapter. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Luke Clanton (@lukeclanton)How has it been over the last year or two balancing your journey through pro tournaments, college golf and academics?Yeah, I mean, I’ll be honest I was kind of just going with it as it came. It was definitely new to me. Originally, we thought I’d have one PGA TOUR start after winning the Valspar Collegiate to get into Valspar the next year. Then, suddenly, I had 12 starts before that. So it kind of happened in a blur. Thankfully, the academic staff, coaching staff and everyone at FSU were a massive help. I was a bit lost in it all, but I had a great team behind me. Whether it was being away for a week and a half or jumping straight into a college event, the coaches made sure I was right—physically and mentally.At the beginning, I wasn’t even thinking about a TOUR card. I just thought it would be cool to play in some PGA TOUR events. Then my agent came to me—I think I had four points at the time—and said we had a platform to actually get the card. I kind of laughed like, “Well, we need 20.” And he goes, “Yeah, we can do that.” So we started checking off boxes. By the fall, around RSM [Classic], I had my first real moment where I was like, “Damn, I can actually contend in these events.” Getting the card at Cognizant, especially being so close to where I grew up, was just an unbelievable journey.So while the card wasn’t part of the initial plan, did you always see professional golf in your future—even if the path was uncertain?In the beginning of my sophomore spring, I had only one college win and I was top 20 in the world, which was great—but my goal was just to play the best golf I could. Then I won three college events in a row that spring, and that boosted my confidence. I felt like my game was getting where I wanted it.But after losing Nationals [NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship] the way we did, I was crushed. The next week, I had U.S. Open qualifying. I remember my mom driving me there, and I was still so down about Nationals. She looked at me and said, “You gotta focus up. You’ve got three big things coming.” I ended up qualifying, and my first thought was, “Holy crap, I’m in a major.” Then I shot 6-over in the first round. I thought I was done. Came back with a 1-under, made the cut, then shot another 1-under. Suddenly, I had a chance to win low amateur. I missed a five-footer on 18 to tie for it, so I was back to being disappointed. But the emotional rollercoaster of that week taught me a lot about expectations.Same thing at John Deere [Classic] and Rocket Mortgage [Classic]. I was contending, then frustrated not to win. But six months earlier, I’d have been thrilled just to play. Each week taught me more, and by my last start at Valspar, I felt like, “I can win this.” I’m just trying to keep expectations in check while building confidence.After those big tournament moments, did you feel a shift in how you were seen by your college teammates when you returned to campus?Not one bit, and that was the coolest thing. When I came back after the summer, the first day of class, all the guys were there, and nothing had changed. We have a rule: no matter if you’re a freshman or a senior, we treat everyone the same. That team chemistry has been so important for me. It keeps me grounded. They were obviously curious and a
Back in late January, there were signs that Nike Golf was preparing to stage a comeback. After Tiger Woods’ long-term contract ran its course, questions began swirling about the Swoosh’s staying power in the sport. But when the brand made a surprise splash at the PGA Show—unveiling an expansive and clearly expensive booth filled with apparel, shoes and larger-than-life banners—the golf world took notice.
Sure, Nike retained names like Scottie Scheffler, Tony Finau and Nelly Korda. But who would carry the next generation? Who could bring both on-course results and, potentially one day, off-course presence?
That’s where Luke Clanton enters the picture.
The 21-year-old Florida State standout has been a fixture on college leaderboards for the past few seasons, leading FSU through deep postseason runs and earning All-American honors in the process. With a compact, powerful swing and an undeniable maturity about him, Clanton has the skills to execute and the confidence to mix it up with the world’s best players. Last summer he went on an unprecedented run where he finished inside the top 10 at consecutive TOUR events, the first time an amateur had done that since 1958.
Now he’s ready to turn pro as Nike Golf’s newest signing (with an announcement video to boot). And while he may not be a household name yet, the partnership already feels meaningful. “Like a dream come true,” he said of putting on the Swoosh for the first time at late February’s Cognizant Classic.
Weeks before making his PGA TOUR debut at the RBC Canadian Open, Clanton sat down with Hypegolf to talk about the moment and what it means to step into the next chapter.
How has it been over the last year or two balancing your journey through pro tournaments, college golf and academics?
Yeah, I mean, I’ll be honest I was kind of just going with it as it came. It was definitely new to me. Originally, we thought I’d have one PGA TOUR start after winning the Valspar Collegiate to get into Valspar the next year. Then, suddenly, I had 12 starts before that. So it kind of happened in a blur. Thankfully, the academic staff, coaching staff and everyone at FSU were a massive help. I was a bit lost in it all, but I had a great team behind me. Whether it was being away for a week and a half or jumping straight into a college event, the coaches made sure I was right—physically and mentally.
At the beginning, I wasn’t even thinking about a TOUR card. I just thought it would be cool to play in some PGA TOUR events. Then my agent came to me—I think I had four points at the time—and said we had a platform to actually get the card. I kind of laughed like, “Well, we need 20.” And he goes, “Yeah, we can do that.” So we started checking off boxes. By the fall, around RSM [Classic], I had my first real moment where I was like, “Damn, I can actually contend in these events.” Getting the card at Cognizant, especially being so close to where I grew up, was just an unbelievable journey.
So while the card wasn’t part of the initial plan, did you always see professional golf in your future—even if the path was uncertain?
In the beginning of my sophomore spring, I had only one college win and I was top 20 in the world, which was great—but my goal was just to play the best golf I could. Then I won three college events in a row that spring, and that boosted my confidence. I felt like my game was getting where I wanted it.
But after losing Nationals [NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship] the way we did, I was crushed. The next week, I had U.S. Open qualifying. I remember my mom driving me there, and I was still so down about Nationals. She looked at me and said, “You gotta focus up. You’ve got three big things coming.” I ended up qualifying, and my first thought was, “Holy crap, I’m in a major.” Then I shot 6-over in the first round. I thought I was done. Came back with a 1-under, made the cut, then shot another 1-under. Suddenly, I had a chance to win low amateur. I missed a five-footer on 18 to tie for it, so I was back to being disappointed. But the emotional rollercoaster of that week taught me a lot about expectations.
Same thing at John Deere [Classic] and Rocket Mortgage [Classic]. I was contending, then frustrated not to win. But six months earlier, I’d have been thrilled just to play. Each week taught me more, and by my last start at Valspar, I felt like, “I can win this.” I’m just trying to keep expectations in check while building confidence.
After those big tournament moments, did you feel a shift in how you were seen by your college teammates when you returned to campus?
Not one bit, and that was the coolest thing. When I came back after the summer, the first day of class, all the guys were there, and nothing had changed. We have a rule: no matter if you’re a freshman or a senior, we treat everyone the same. That team chemistry has been so important for me. It keeps me grounded. They were obviously curious and asked how things went, but we were all still competing, all still trying to reach the same goal.
You’re with Nike now, but in the past you had the Good Good logo on your gear. You seem pretty tuned in to the creator community in golf. How much do you follow that space, and has it influenced you whether in mindset or social media?
Funny enough, when I was 16, I DMed Garrett [Clarke] from Good Good—back when he was still GM Golf and had maybe 100k followers—just saying, “Hey, want to play 18 holes?” He replied, said he was in Miami, and we played. A couple months later, the whole Good Good crew came out to my home course, and I got to know them really well.
I stayed in touch with Garrett and started learning about what they were doing creatively with YouTube. I think what they’ve done to grow the game is really impressive. A lot of people who don’t watch the PGA TOUR are still watching golf on YouTube because of them. They’ve become a big business, doing charity events and more. Garrett helped me understand social media, helped boost my profile, and I’m really thankful for that. Playing in front of a camera is hard. It’s a whole different thing. So having that experience early was super valuable.
And tell me about the Nike partnership. How did that come about, and how does it feel to get to wear the Swoosh?
I mean, yeah—just having the honor to wear the Swoosh has kind of been my dream growing up. You think about all the top players, all the top athletes in the world and they wear Nike. So when the opportunity came, it was incredible. I told my agent immediately, “I’m in.”
The first time I ever wore it was at the Cognizant Classic, and I remember putting it on that Thursday morning and thinking, man, this is a dream come true. Like, not only do I have a chance to earn my card, but I also get to wear Nike. I remember talking to my caddie that morning and just saying how thankful I was for everything that’s happened in my life to even get to that point. It’s really incredible to be a part of it.
Have you gotten as far as thinking about what you're going to wear at certain moments? Is that something you’re looking to take part in?
A little bit, yeah. I’m definitely excited to see what Nike has coming in the future. I’ve actually never been a big fashion guy, which is funny to say now. But once I got signed and they started sending me some gear, I was like, damn, this is really cool.
Now I’m learning every step of the way. Growing up, we didn’t have much of that kind of stuff, so even just getting a nice pair of shoes or anything from the Nike store is incredible. I’m just excited to keep seeing what’s next with them.
And then building up to your first pro start in early June—just broadly, how are you feeling about it? What are you most looking forward to?
I haven’t thought about it too much, honestly, just because of everything going on with the college season. We’ve still got Regionals and Nationals coming up. It does creep into your mind sometimes, like when you’re watching the PGA TOUR on TV and you see those guys out there. You want to be out there too.
But right now, my one goal in college is to win a national championship with this team. We’ve been so damn close twice now. I’m super pumped for that first start at RBC, I really am, but it’s hard not to stay locked in on Nationals.
Once that last putt drops and hopefully we’re holding that trophy, that’s when I’ll really start thinking about the next chapter. Until then, it’s all about enjoying every moment I’ve got left here. Because I’ve got less than a month left on campus, and we’re trying to soak it all in.
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