Clanton, Koivun took different paths toward earning TOUR cards

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The PGA Tour University “Accelerated” program for underclassmen was appropriately named because two players made up a lot of ground in a short period of time.

The difference is the way Luke Clanton and Jackson Koivun accumulated their points.

Clanton, a junior at Florida State, hit the 20-point mark to earn a PGA Tour card in just over nine months. It started with him qualifying for the U.S. Open last June and then making the cut.

Clanton earned 14 of his 20 points through his performance in PGA Tour-sanctioned events. He made the cut in nine of 12 tournaments, had four top 10s and twice was runner-up, at the John Deere Classic and the RSM Classic.

The other six points came from reaching No. 1 in the world amateur ranking (5 points) and staying No. 1 for at least 26 weeks (1 point).

Koivun, a sophomore at Auburn, is playing in the Arnold Palmer Invitational this week on a sponsor exemption. He has 18 points, meaning he can secure a PGA Tour card by finishing in the top 10. Making the cut would put him at 19 points.

He got there primarily based on his astonishing freshman season.

Koivun won twice (including the SEC Championship) and was five times a runner-up (including the NCAA Championship). He won the three versions of college player of the year with the Haskins Award, Hogan Award and Nicklaus Award. Each of those awards were worth three points, even though all of them are based on a vote from various committees.

That adds to 11 points for Koivun.

He also earned one point for being selected to play in the Palmer Cup, and he received four points for being No. 2 in the world amateur ranking. He played only three PGA Tour events, making the cut at the Memorial (52nd) and Farmers Insurance Open (tie for 56th).

The PGA Tour has tweaked the requirement, such as adding an additional point for a top 10 on the PGA Tour and a top 20 in a major. But it has not recommended changes to criteria that gives three points for winning what amounts to the same award.

Imagine if Alabama football received credit for an additional national title in the four years (before title games were created) they finished No. 1 in the AP and the coaches poll.

The Haskins Award is the oldest, dating to 1971, and is a vote of college players, coaches and media. The Nicklaus Award dates to 1988 and the winner is picked by the Golf Coaches Association of America. The Hogan Award began in 1990 and includes all tournaments for a college player. It is determined by a selection committee that includes past winners.

Koivun became the eighth player to sweep all three awards, most recently done in 2023 by Ludvig Aberg.

The scoreboard right of the first fairway at Augusta National has flags representing countries of every player in the field. It will never have more flags than this year.

Players from 27 countries and territories already are part of the 92-man field expected to compete April 10-13, breaking the record of 25 set in 2015.

Among the additions are Singapore for NCAA champion Hiroshi Tai. The flag of the Cayman Islands returns for Latin America Amateur champion Justin Hastings, while Kevin Yu of Taiwan qualified for his first Masters by winning the Sanderson Farms Championship last year.

Rafael Campos of Puerto Rico is at the Masters for the first time. South America has players from Argentina, Colombia, Chile and Venezuela.

Five weeks remain for players to earn invitations, which includes winning a PGA Tour event. The number of flags could grow still with players from four countries still capable of getting to the Masters — Finland (Sami Valimaki), Italy (Francesco Molinari or Matteo Manassero), New Zealand (Ryan Fox) and the Philippines (Rico Hoey).

One reason Jordan Spieth was a late entry into the Cognizant Classic was awaiting word from the Arnold Palmer Invitational on his request for a sponsor exemption so he could make travel and scheduling plans.

The answer was not this year, a perplexing decision given Spieth is a three-time major champion, moves the needle whenever he gets on the fringe of contention and is coming off surgery last August for a left wrist that has ailed him since May 2023.

Exemptions are a touchy subject — “play better” applies to everyone — and there has been some chatter about exemptions to the $20 million signature events going to the same players, such as Adam Scott and Justin Thomas last year.

In terms of drawing interest, it was a peculiar omission. But that's the tournament's choice. In terms of Spieth, he will have The Players Championship and the Valspar Championship, where he first secured a PGA Tour card in 2013 and won in 2015 on his way to a Masters title.

Spieth left the Cognizant Classic with a subtle dig.

“I’m bummed not to be there next week," he said. "It’s been a great, great place for me, and I really wish I was getting that start, but I needed to play better injured golf last year, I guess.”

New parents who want their sons to play golf might want to start whispering, “Pine Valley.” The USGA says the fabled course in New Jersey will host the Walker Cup in 2044. There's a chance players on either team have not been born yet.

“We are committed to bringing our championships to the finest golf courses in the country,” said John Bodenhamer, USGA chief championships officer. “To have Pine Valley as the host site of this prestigious event will not only produce memorable competition but also reinforce the stature of amateur golf worldwide.”

The Walker Cup this year goes to Cypress Point for the first time. Future sites in the U.S. include Oakmont in 2032 and Chicago Golf Club in 2036.

This will be the third time Pine Valley hosts the Walker Cup, most recently in 1985, a team that featured Davis Love III and Scott Verplank.

Mike Keiser has long been a champion of public golf and an architect of some of the natural gems in North America, from Bandon Dunes in Oregon to Sand Valley in Wisconsin to Cabot Links in Canada.

Keiser has been selected to receive the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor from the USGA, for individuals who personify the character, sportsmanship and respect for the game displayed by the great amateur Bobby Jones.

“What inspires us about Mike is his love for what is pure and good about the game, his investment in golf that’s open to the public, his drive to promote recreational golf and the joy he feels when he plays — and those strong connections have never wavered,” said Mike Whan, the CEO of the USGA.

Tiger Woods won the award last year. Previous winners range from Jack Nicklaus to Francis Ouimet, Lee Elder to former president George H.W. Bush.

Keiser will receive the award during the U.S. Open at Oakmont on June 10.

The PGA Tour secured another title sponsor extension when 3M agreed to a new deal that takes the 3M Open in Minnesota through 2030. The tournament dates to 2019 and will be the penultimate tournament of the regular season for the third straight season. ... For the second straight year, players ranked outside the top 100 in the world won their first PGA Tour titles in the Mexico Open (Jake Knapp, Brian Campbell) and Cognizant Classic (Austin Eckroat, Joe Highsmith) to earn trips to the Masters. ... Dustin Johnson has gone eight straight tournaments in LIV Golf without a top 10.

Joe Highsmith moved to No. 59 in the world with his first PGA Tour title at the Cognizant Classic. He becomes the fifth left-handed player in the top 60, joining Robert MacIntyre, Akshay Bhatia, Brian Harman and Matt McCarty.

“This is exactly why the sport goes the way it goes. It’s because of fans and because of the young kids. I was one time one of them. I was 7 years old chasing Lorena Ochoa, and now it’s them looking at us. It’s a very nice responsibility.” — Gaby Lopez.

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