A lot has happened in Luke Clanton’s life in the last few days. Not only did the young golfer finally make his official start as a PGA Tour pro at the 2025 RBC Canadian Open, but he also famously declared his love for Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler. After accumulating 20 PGA TOUR University Accelerated points and making it onto the Tour, an excited Clanton declared ahead of the RBC Canadian Open, “I think Scottie and Rory are icons of this game, and to be playing against Rory this week is pretty cool.” Playing with Rory McIlroy, for Clanton, was a “cool” gift from the PGA Tour, as he stated again.

The PGA Tour surprised the young golfer by pairing him with Rory McIlroy. The group also featured Ludvig Aberg, making this trio one of the highlighted groups in Round 1, which teed off at 7:40 AM (ET). Sure, the trio’s performance at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley fell short of expectations, with Aberg currently sitting at T24 with a score of 68, Clanton at T78 with a score of 70, and McIlroy at T106 with a score of 71. Despite that, Luke Clanton is pretty happy with his opening round.

After the opening round at the 2025 RBC Canadian Open, Luke Clanton excitedly talked about playing the first round with Rory McIlroy: “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, and it’s really cool.” But Clanton was so happy with the thought of playing alongside McIlroy that he didn’t even sleep well: “Oh, yeah, I was playing with Rory,” Clanton explained excitedly. However, considering how Luke Clanton spent the hours before the round, this particular confession isn’t very surprising.

Ahead of the opening round, Clanton kicked things off with a bagel and coffee from Tim Horton’s, looked sharp while warming up on the range, and shared a friendly handshake with Rory McIlroy on the 10th hole. After that, he summed up the interaction perfectly, saying, “I couldn’t feel it. So it was a nice experience, for sure.” That’s why his words at the post-round press conference were not very surprising. Talking about his favorite moment of the day, Clanton replied, “I think it’s probably the first tee shot. I’ve never experienced anything like that. It was so cool to meet Rory and play with him and be out there with Ludvig as well, two great ball strikers. It was really cool.” But is it also the day he will always “kind of remember?” Clanton replied, “For sure. First pro start with Rory McIlroy, it’s definitely a day to remember.” 

Interestingly, Rory McIlroy feels the same confidence for Luke Clanton. During the Wednesday press conference at the RBC Canadian Open, McIlroy said, “Yeah, I haven’t really met him, or I certainly haven’t played with him, so I’m looking forward to that over the next two days.” However, Luke Clanton’s awe extends to his other teammate, Ludvig Aberg, as well.

Luke Clanton is just as impressed with his friend Ludvig Aberg

The 2025 Ben Hogan Award winner, Luke Clanton, teed off against defending champion Ludvig Aberg at the 2024 RSM Classic. During this tournament, Clanton secured his second runner-up finish in his professional golf career during his ninth PGA Tour start. After Aberg hit 64 to get himself in the second round at 5-under at the RSM Classic, his fanboy (Clanton) said, “We were kind of fan-boying a little bit over the last couple rounds. It’s kind of surreal; I know he’s a really good dude, but to kind of be playing with him and to see what he’s done over the last couple years is pretty inspirational.”

Did Aberg say the same for him? “He actually did. On one, I hit a 9-iron maybe 5 feet off the ground. He looked at me and said, ‘That was crazy.’ It was kind of cool to kind of get a compliment from him, but he’s just an awesome guy and an awesome player.” Considering this interaction, it’s not at all surprising that Clanton reacted the same way ahead of the RBC Canadian Open.

Ahead of the Canadian Open, Luke Clanton reflected on playing with Ludvig Aberg at the RSM Classic, saying, “Yeah, I played with Ludwig at RSM, and gosh, he hits it good. It’s pretty cool to see.” He was mindful not to bother Aberg during the event. Clanton praised Aberg’s focus, stating, “I remember it pretty well, and those moments are awesome. He’s so locked in on what he’s doing; it’s not about anyone else. I’m trying to learn that as I go, and it’s pretty cool.” Well, at least Luke Clanton is having fun!