‘Incredible’ PGA Tour player who’s not currently being paid tipped to make Keegan Bradley’s USA Ryder Cup team in 2025

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Once the 2025 PGA Tour season begins, discussions about who will be on Keegan Bradley’s Ryder Cup team will start to emerge.

Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa and Patrick Cantlay are shoo-ins for Bradley‘s 12-man roster. The quartet will all likely qualify for the team or be handed a pick if any issues arise during the 2025 PGA Tour season.

Then there’s the now-eligible LIV Golf contingent, with Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Reed, and Brooks Koepka likely to compete for a spot at Bethpage Black.

There will, however, be some challenging decisions for Bradley to make. Looking at those who made the Presidents Cup team, Sahith Theegala, Max Homa, Brian Harman, and Wyndham Clark are by no means sure to be handed a pick after their performances in Montreal.

Therefore, an outside pick could emerge, and Golf Channel pundit Ryan Lavner believes an up-and-coming PGA Tour star could be set to follow a similar path to European sensation Ludvig Aberg.

Luke Clanton backed to make USA Ryder Cup team

Speaking on the latest Golf Channel Podcast, Lavner claimed Luke Clanton, who is still an amateur, could stake a claim for a spot on Bradley’s Ryder Cup roster.

“For me, this one was an easy one. The player on the rise is Luke Clanton. He is still in college, a senior at Florida State,” Lavner said.

“Four top 10 finishes, Viktor Hovland had two top 10s, Luke Clanton is still an amateur and not getting paid, at least not formally. Four top 10’s, incredible. He is 90th in the world as an amateur. The first amateur since 1958 to post back-to-back top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour. That came this Fall and culminated at the RSM Classic.

“He is going to finish out his senior year, where he has enjoyed quite a lucrative amateur career, and then he will launch his pro career. He will have no shortage of sponsor exemptions.

“It would not surprise me if Luke Clanton made that sort of Ludvig Aberg leap from college senior to getting on a Ryder Cup team, as we saw with Aberg in 2023 for the Europeans; it could possibly happen for Luke Clanton as well.”

Why has Luke Clanton not been paid in 2024?

Despite shining on the PGA Tour, particularly during the FedEx Cup fall, Clanton hasn’t earned a dollar this year due to his amateur status.

Clanton’s season started at the US Open, where he made the cut. He then finished inside the top ten at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

The American then placed second at the John Deere Classic, which was only his second PGA Tour event.

More recently, Clanton came close to his first victory at the RSM Classic, which was the final event of the FedEx Cup fall. If the 21-year-old were professional, he would’ve banked nearly $1.8m.

With Clanton one of the most distinguished amateurs on the planet, he’s anticipated to turn professional next summer once he’s amassed enough points on the PGA Tour University Accelerated Program.