The Optum Golf Channel Games debuts Dec. 17 at Trump National Golf Club Jupiter in Florida, featuring a team competition led by captains Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler. Players will face off in five innovative challenges testing both skill and speed.
Team Scheffler brings together Keegan Bradley, Sam Burns and Luke Clanton, while Team McIlroy features Luke Donald, Shane Lowry and Haotong Li.
Luke Clanton
- Age: 22
- Country: United States
- Career PGA Tour wins: 0
- Majors: 0
2025 Season
Clanton’s first full Tour season showed promise after his standout amateur career. The former NCAA player of the year and world No. 1 amateur made 18 starts, notching two top-25 finishes — T15 at the Farmers Insurance Open and T18 at the Cognizant Classic.
The 22-year-old brings serious firepower to Team Scheffler, ranking second among all competitors in driving distance. His ball-striking looks solid too, sitting third in greens in regulation among the eight players. That’s where he’ll need to shine in the Games’ challenges that test everything from power and accuracy to short game and mental focus.
Clanton’s Game: By the Numbers
- Driving distance: 312.6 yards (2nd among competitors)
- Driving accuracy: 59.08% (6th)
- Greens in regulation: 70.59% (3rd)
- Proximity to the hole: 36’4″ (4th)
- Scrambling: 54.4% (7th)
- Sand saves: 40.74% (8th)
- Putting >25 feet: 7.62% (3rd)
- Putting 10 feet: 28.95% (7th)
What makes Clanton interesting is the contrast in his game. He’s got the power and ball-striking to hang with the best, but his short game stats suggest he’s still developing that aspect. His long-range putting surprisingly outperforms his 10-foot efforts, which could be crucial in the pressure situations the Golf Channel Games will create.
The way I see it, Clanton represents exactly what Team Scheffler needs — young firepower with something to prove against a veteran-heavy Team McIlroy.
