Report: College Golf Stars To Make Pro Debuts At RBC Canadian Open

Two of college golf’s brightest stars are reportedly set to make their professional debuts at the PGA Tour’s RBC Canadian Open in June.

Per X account Underdog Golf, Florida State’s Luke Clanton and Vanderbilt University’s Gordon Sargent will make their first starts as professionals at the event, which takes place between June 5^th and 8^th at TPC Toronto.

Both players earned their PGA Tour cards via the PGA Tour University Accelerated program after they reached the 20-point threshold.

Sargent has had to wait for his professional PGA Tour debut, although that was a decision of his own making. He became the first player to earn his card through the PGA Tour Accelerated program when he achieved the 20-point mark the moment he appeared for the US in the 2023 World Amateur Team Championships.

That gave him eligibility for PGA Tour membership from June 2024, but he opted to defer his playing privileges for a year to stay at Vanderbilt for his final season.

In Clanton’s case, his big moment came on the last day of February when he made the cut at the Cognizant Classic on the way to placing T18, where he was playing on a sponsor exemption. That gave him the one point he needed to confirm his card, which made him eligible for open, full-field events following the collegiate season.

While each is set for their professional debut in Canada next month, they have both already impressed on the PGA Tour as amateurs. Sargent has less PGA Tour experience than Clanton so far, although at T57 at the 2023 John Deere Classic was a highlight after he shot to prominence with a T39 at that year's US Open.

As for Clanton, as well as his performance at the Cognizant Classic that earned him his card, he has demonstrated his ample abilities in several other tournaments, including two runner-up finishes, at last year’s John Deere Classic and the RSM Classic.