Luke Clanton makes cut after marathon weekend; 14-for-11 playoff for final match play spots at 2024 U.S. Amateur

CHASKA, Minn. — Match play is set to begin Wednesday at the 2024 U.S. Amateur, but first, a playoff.

Stroke play concludes Tuesday at Hazeltine National Golf Club and co-host Chaska Town Course, but come Wednesday morning, there will be a 14-for-11 playoff to determine who gets the final spots for match play, with the Round of 64 to follow.

Perhaps the story of the tournament so far is 39-year-old Jimmy Ellis, the mid-am medalist who fired a 61 on Tuesday at Chaska Town Course to win medalist honors by three shots. He'll be the top seed for match play but will have to wait to find out who he will face.

But that's far from the only storyline after stroke play. Luke Clanton, who's set to take over No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking on Wednesday, is on to match play after a whirlwind weekend that saw him place top five in a PGA Tour event in North Carolina before jetting to Minneapolis to make it to the U.S. Amateur.

U.S. Amateur: Photos from Hazeltine National

Here's what you need to know ahead of Wednesday's Round of 64 at the U.S. Amateur:

Clanton advances to match play after marathon week

Florida State rising junior Luke Clanton has played 75 holes of golf in the last 72 hours. A majority of those were halfway across the country in a professional event.

Clanton recorded his third top-10 finish on the PGA Tour this summer Sunday at the Wyndham Championship. He did so after playing 39 holes on Sunday in a tournament that was played over three (or four if you're Matt Kuchar) days because of Tropical Storm Debby. Then, he hopped on a private jet and zoomed to Minneapolis for his U.S. Amateur tee time alongside Vanderbilt senior Gordon Sargent and Auburn sophomore Jackson Koivun, a group of the top three players in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.

No need to fret for Clanton. Even with no practice rounds or prep on either course, he fired a 69 at Chaska Town Course on Monday and followed up with a 2-under 70 at the more difficult Hazeltine National, and he's safely into match play.

"A lot of golf, but it’s good," Clanton said. "Again, I think it’s just awesome to be here. We didn’t know if we were going to make it here or not. To play the first two rounds and to play pretty good golf is really awesome."

Clanton will rise to No. 1 in WAGR on Wednesday thanks to his finish at the Wyndham, and for good reason. Although Koivun won all of the major college golf awards last season, Clanton was ranked higher in the season-ending NCAA golf ranking. This week, Clanton also made match play while Koivun, a quarterfinalist in the 2023 U.S. Amateur, missed the cut. Sargent will join Clanton in match play.

"Jackson and Gordon are amazing golfers," Clanton said. "They always have been. You know, Gordon’s that guy. When you see him playing, everyone is out there watching him. He’s a phenomenal golfer. He’s already got his (PGA Tour) card locked up. He’s going to definitely be a threat on Tour, and same thing with Jackson. Jackson has played really well all freshman year and has done things that I don’t think anyone else has done like that. It was just cool for me to be part of that group and be out there playing with them."

Now, Clanton has a chance to win the biggest title of his career and get closer to a PGA Tour card himself.

Come Wednesday, he will have 14 points in PGA Tour University Accelerated after he officially moves to No. 1 in WAGR. A win at the U.S. Amateur would give him three more points. If he gets to 20, like Sargent did last fall, he'll earn his PGA Tour card.

But his focus isn't on his ranking or what comes with it, just playing solid golf. Which, for Clanton, hasn't been an issue at all in 2024.

"I’m just going to stay in my zone," he said. "I’m going to be honest with you, I’m pretty simple when it comes to this. I’m not too heavy into this stuff. Golf’s not my life. I think a lot of people get obsessed with it and I try to make sure that I don’t get obsessed with it as much, and realize that I have a beautiful girlfriend, a great family. You get too obsessed with golf sometimes, it becomes a little hard."

Paul Chang's incredible run continues at Hazeltine

Fans of amateur golf will remember Paul Chang and the run he made at the 2023 U.S. Amateur.

At Cherry Hills in Denver, Chang was an unranked club golfer who nearly advanced to the quarterfinals, falling to eventual semifinalist J.M. Butler to extra holes. The 23-year-old senior at Virginia now sits 97th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, and he was tied for the lead after the opening round of the 2024 U.S. Amateur after a 6-under 64 at Chaska Town Course.

He's into match play again and will be one of the top seeds. Chang shot 1-under 71 at Hazeltine on Tuesday and finished T-3 at 7 under following 36 holes of stroke play.

"Last year, I didn’t feel like I belonged here at all," Chang said Monday. "I was just testing the waters. Don’t know who’s who. This year, I was running into a lot of fellow players and saying hi. I really want to give it a good run this year."

Chance of weather affects schedule

Because of forecasted inclement weather in the Minneapolis area Wednesday afternoon, the Round of 64 tee times have been moved to 9 a.m. ET (originally 11 a.m.).   Coverage of the Round of 64 will be broadcast live on Golf Channel (with simulstream on Peacock) from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. ET. A condensed replay of the day’s action will re-air on Golf Channel from 6-8 p.m. ET.  The playoff for final match play spots, if necessary, will start at 8:30 a.m. ET (originally 9 a.m.).

Best Round of 64 matchups

More matches will be added once the bracket is complete.

No. 20 Jacob Modleski vs. No. 45 Wells Williams, 10:10 a.m. ET

No. 15 Tiger Christensen vs. No. 50 Gordon Sargent, 11 a.m. ET

No. 18 Benjamin James vs. No. 47 Jose Luis Ballester, 11:10 a.m. ET

No. 19 Caden Fiorini vs. No. 46 Phichaksn Maichon, 12 p.m. ET

TV information

Wednesday, Aug 14: 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. p.m., Golf Channel/Peacock; 6-8 p.m., Golf ChannelThursday, Aug. 15: 5-6 p.m., Peacock; 6-8 p.m., Golf ChannelFriday, Aug. 16: 5-6 p.m., Peacock; 6-8 p.m., Golf ChannelSaturday, Aug. 17: 3-6 p.m., Golf ChannelSunday, Aug. 18: 2-5 p.m., Golf Channel

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Luke Clanton makes cut after marathon weekend; 14-for-11 playoff for final match play spots at 2024 U.S. Amateur