The 2025 RBC Canadian Open is to commence this week at the TPC Toronto from June 5-8. While several players will tee up at this event, including Nick Taylor, who was the first Canadian to win it in 2023, and defending champion Robert McIntyre, top-tier golfers like Rory McIlroy will also be seen competing for the $9.8 million purse. Ludvig Aberg, who is the only other player in the top 10, will also be joining McIlroy, but these are not the only two players to watch out for. One of the most anticipated players is the 21-year-old Luke Clanton, who has been receiving a lot of praise already from fellow Tour players.

Everyone’s talking about Rory McIlroy’s partner — and for good reason

While Rory McIlroy hasn’t met or played with Luke Clanton, being paired with him on the first two rounds of the RBC Canadian Open has him excited—”I’m really looking forward to that over the next two days,” he stated in a pre-tournament press conference. While this is the first time that McIlroy has addressed the media since the PGA Championship, for which he received a lot of criticism, in Clanton’s eyes, he is still an icon.

Clanton expressed how he sees something completely different when he watches McIlroy perform. “I think what Scottie and Rory do so well is, when they’re coming down that final stretch to win a golf event, they know how to handle themselves well. They’ve been in that moment multiple, multiple times now, obviously. It’s just amazing what they do,” he said, talking about how they handle the mental pressure of golf.

Other players on the Tour, who have watched Clanton play, are positive about his talent and that he’s here to make it big. Justin Thomas, who played with him at the 2025 WM Phoenix Open in February, was impressed with Clanton’s confident swing and his ball striking: “There are certain people whose golf ball makes a different sound when they hit than others, and his is one of them.” Clanton also received a lot of positive remarks from Jordan Spieth, not just for his swing but for his ability to make it big on the Tour.

“I like how solid his stroke is; he’s got all the shots; he’s a shotmaker; he’s got that intensity. He’s kinda..… he’s got a bit of that. It’s a factor where you know when the moment gets big, he zones in,” Jordan Spieth observed. He also went on to add how Clanton does not have the nerves of an amateur and is confident to be in contention regardless of his experience on the Tour.

“He knows how to get his way around the golf course, and I thought he had great hands, and he wasn’t shy and wasn’t scared of the moment, so he’s gonna come out here ready to go. It’s not hard to see, given where he’s been playing, that he’s been playing in contention in some. Making a cut to get your card—we didn’t tell him that; he probably made the cut very easily. But that obviously puts a little bit of target in the back, and he went out and just tore it up,” Spieth stated as he emphasized how easily Clanton was able to achieve his Tour card through the PGA Tour University Accelerated program.

Golf is a growing game, and the players who are given the right start from their college days are confident enough to make it big on the Tour. “He’s got a bright future ahead of him. He’s somebody that I expect to be out here for a long time. There are several guys his age watching NCAAs right now. Like, alright, it’s just a matter of time; just got to give these guys the right avenues, and it’s cool what he was able to accomplish to get out here quickly,” Spieth continued to add.

When asked what advice he would like to give Clanton as an experienced player on tour, Jordan Spieth confidently added, “I don’t think I need to give much advice to him; he’s doing very well.” The young and emotional golfer had seven individual collegiate titles, including four this season, and four top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour in 2024, making him the first amateur since Jack Nicklaus in 1961 with three or more top-10 finishes on Tour in a year. So, he doesn’t seem to need any advice.

Min Woo Lee complimented Luke, too. “Luke’s a very confident player. He’s got a lot of assets there that have obviously shown results.” Luke has had stellar performances in the 2024 season, where he had two runner-up finishes at the John Deere Classic and RSM Classic. Had amateurs been allowed to earn non-member FedEx Cup points, Clanton would’ve finished No. 90 in points last season. This has proven that he can already compete in the big leagues.

Aberg also praised the young star as the two will be playing the first two rounds together. He feels that Clanton’s game has always been about the right shots. “It seems like he always picked the right shot to play. He was sort of always on the right side of the pin, and I could tell that he really knows golf,” the Swede said.

While the decision of the PGA Tour to include top-tier golfers like McIlroy and Aberg in the RBC Canadian Open is a good one, it is also important to showcase upcoming talent like Luke Clanton, who has worked really hard not just by himself, but with the support of his family and coaches.

Luke Clanton’s emotional journey

Luke Clanton also had the option to choose LIV Golf over the PGA Tour, but he stated his desire to play against the best, in majors, and not just for the money. While he had an emotional message during his press conference before his debut, “Today my dream becomes a reality, a professional golfer on the PGA Tour,” Clanton did not forget how he got here.

He acknowledged 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. His success in being able to earn a card on the Tour is also because of a lot of sacrifices made by his parents.

Clanton, who grew up in Florida, is the youngest son of his parents. His father, David, who was a landscaper, started his workday before sunrise just to meet Luke Clanton at the Country Club in Miami—”What” my dad did at an early, young age created me to be the person I am now. My dad took that step of pushing me to my limits when I was a kid and making me train as hard as I could and hit golf balls in the dark with a flashlight,” Clanton said, implying that these are the kinds of things that are created to make a person mentally tough.

His mother, Rhonda, who was a flight attendant for four decades, was able to retire all thanks to Clanton’s bright future. “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: to retire their mom and dad and help them out with everything. It’s amazing.”

Are you going to be rooting for Clanton this weekend? Let us know in the comments below!