LUKE CLANTON:
THE MODERATOR: Joined by Luke Clanton, making your second start here at the John Deere Classic after playing on a sponsor's exemption last year with a runner-up finish. What do you remember from last year?
LUKE CLANTON: Man, I mean, it's a lot of good memories for sure. Obviously making the putt on 18. I think I shot 63, 64; was amazing. To get tied second place as an amateur was pretty cool.
I think the golf course out here suits me pretty well and it's in great condition again, so it's exciting.
Q. As you're making second starts here, like Detroit and this week, you've had time to kind of compare where your game or where you were at personally last year whole year later?
LUKE CLANTON: Yeah, a little bit. Me and Jason were kind of making jokes. Tee shots became a little but easier and iron shots became a little bit easier now. Our game is developing every week we go, so it's nice to come back to a golf course we know a little bit and be able to play.
Obviously we want to play well here, but just going to take some good golf.
Q. With your finish here last year, what did that do for you confidence-wise?
LUKE CLANTON: I think it shows me I can compete out here. Big thing I think is doubt with golfers. You get into our own heads sometimes, especially when we don't play well.
Having that stretch of golf last year was amazing for me to just kind of know I had the game to compete. Obviously I'm still trying to improve every single day. It's pretty cool.
Q. How much different is it now that you have a dollar sign attached to everything you do in a week rather than playing as an amateur?
LUKE CLANTON: Absolutely nothing. Same thing for me. Going out here to compete against the best. You know, I think a dollar sign would not change my point of view on anything.
Q. Has your perspective toward the game change at all now that it is your livelihood and you're not just out here as an amateur anymore?
LUKE CLANTON: Again, no, not really. It's still a game at the end of the day. I think, yeah, obviously it's my job now. It's a pretty incredible job to have to be able to go out and play golf every day.
Again, you can say it's a job but it's not really a job. We're going out to play golf. It's pretty amazing. So, yeah. Yeah.
Q. You locked the card up earlier this year. Do you come out freewheeling a little bit with your PGA TOUR University accelerated experience knowing that you're not playing for next year in any way? Does that give you a bit of a lift as you get started out here?
LUKE CLANTON: Yeah, obviously it's nice to have some tournaments under your belt before kind of the next year.
Yeah, I think what PGA TOUR U is doing is amazing. We're kind of thrown into the fire immediately right out of college, and we get a little bit of a break for a couple months to get some tournaments under our belt and play well.
I think, yeah, it's exciting. Obviously we want to play well every week no matter what. I think with these events coming up and the schedule we have, it's pretty amazing.
Q. Expectations? Not just this week, but going forward. I mean, obviously the success you had as an amateur has got to set you up for maybe all the dreams that you may have had when you were young.
LUKE CLANTON: Yeah, expectations are always going to be high. Again, I'm just going to try to play the best golf I can. It's a very generic and common answer but it's what we do. I think it's hard not to say you want to win majors and say you want to win five times in a row. Again, if we look into it that way it's never going to come out that way.
We got to go out and do what we do in the process and play the best golf we can.
Q. Have things changed on the golf course for you between amateur years and now as a pro at all? Just your perspective, the perks, anything?
LUKE CLANTON: We get some free drinks, Gatorades and free Monsters and stuff. That's pretty nice.
Q. You got those as amateurs, too.
LUKE CLANTON: Yeah, usually got free water. Not really Gatorades. No, obviously it's a little bit different, but, again it's just nice to be comfortable. To be able to be with my family for them to travel with me, it's amazing; to be able to support them in that way.
Again, it's just a game at the end of the day. We're going out to compete the best we can. Obviously I'm a very big competitor. The perks and everything that comes with it is amazing, so, yeah.
Q. How have you grown as a person since the runner-up finish last year?
LUKE CLANTON: That's a good question. I think I've definitely matured a little bit. Obviously finishing second place as an amateur gives you very high expectations and goals in your life; understanding golf is still a very hard game to play.
I think we're learning every week as we go. I'm still 21 years old and still learning. I didn't finish college yet. It's been a lot. As we go forward it's about learning to plan throughout the weeks and how we prep and how we do everything.
Q. Any memories from last year? I mean, any particular shots that you hit here that you remember specifically? Have you seen the golf course yet this week?
LUKE CLANTON: Yeah. I think it was probably the last three holes I remember pretty vividly. Hitting the 9-iron on 16, even though me and my caddie couldn't figure out a number on that tee box for about a minute. Hit it right in the middle of the green; made a birdie.
Hit a great 5-iron on 17 for birdie.
Obviously the putt on the last hole was pretty sweet.
Again, it's just really cool to be back out here to see the memories and goals we had.
I remember finishing up Rocket and coming over here the next week it felt like we were on TOUR, and now we're actually on TOUR. It's pretty cool.
Q. What is your schedule look like the rest of the year? Are you looking -- there is a chance to get in the British Open this week. Is that something on your mind?
LUKE CLANTON: Again, not really. I think it's just, again, just going to go out and do what we can. We're playing next week in Scotland, which will be pretty cool. Then I have a week off after that and going to figure out what's going to happen. I know we're playing 3M as well though. It'll be cool.
Q. Are you taking the charter to the Scottish?
LUKE CLANTON: Figuring that out as we go. Just figured out yesterday we're playing.
Q. We are going to have Jackson Koivun in tomorrow; only a month since you turned pro, but have any amateurs asked for any advice or what would be your advice to other amateurs being a year removed?
LUKE CLANTON: I mean, obviously we're all really good buddies, all good friends. I think Koivun is just going to be A-okay with how he plays golf and how he is as a person; he's a great dude. Same with everyone else. We're all learning as we go, and it's just so cool to see all us from junior golf to amateur golf to pro golf now. It's pretty cool.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports