Scottie Scheffler is currently dominating golf, as the sport looks for the next big name who can challenge the world number one.
Tiger Woods needed his Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia to push him to greatness, and Scheffler equally needs rivals to contend with him week in, week out, for the good of the sport.
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Shockingly, the player who is currently taking on this role isn’t Rory McIlroy or Jon Rahm, but Chris Gotterup. The 26-year-old has won two of his three starts early in the PGA Tour season and has risen to the top five in the official world golf rankings.
But PGA Tour veterans Tommy Fleetwood and Tony Finau have chosen two different young tour rookies who they believe can be ‘special’ in the future.
Photo by Rich Storry/TGL/TGL Golf via Getty Images
Tony Finau and Tommy Fleetwood say Neal Shipley and Luke Clanton will be ‘special’
Six-time PGA Tour winner Finau has identified two talents on the PGA Tour who he thinks will be special, and Fleetwood agrees.
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After playing against them on TGL, he predicts a bright future for both Neal Shipley and Luke Clanton. When asked what advice he would give to them, Finau said, “I would just say keep doing what they’re doing.
“They’ve gotten their careers off to a great start. The only thing they’re looking is the experience, but these young guys, what I’ve learned from a lot of these guys coming out of college, they’re not afraid of the spotlight. They’re not afraid to win. They’re not afraid to play well and be the star.
“From what I’m seeing from Luke and Neal, I think they’re great kids. I can call them that because they’re younger than me. They’re in their 20s. But they’re great guys, and they have games to back it up.
“I think they are both going to be special players on the PGA TOUR, and I don’t know that I would really share anything with them other than you guys, make sure you have good people around you to guide you down your path onward to success.”
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Fleetwood added, “Yeah, I agree with Tony. I think the most important thing for those guys is to keep doing what they’re doing, and in no time, I think there’s just so many examples of — a lot of us have done it, but go searching for something that you feel like you want or lack in detriment to what you’ve already got. They’ve got so much.
“You see them, it’s amazing watching them play golf. They’ve got such a great attitude and passion for the game. I think just always protect that. It’s great watching young players like that with the fire in them and how much they love it. As long as they protect that, they’ll be fine.”
Neal Shipley and Luke Clanton endure difficult starts to rookie PGA Tour seasons
Shipley was first thrust into the limelight when he played a round with Tiger Woods at Augusta National as an amateur. He impressed at his first Masters, making the cut and finishing T53, but it’s not been the start to his first full PGA Tour season that he’d have hoped.
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Shipley missed the cut at his first three starts of the season, but the WM Phoenix Open saw a slight improvement in form. The popular American made the cut and finished T68 to claim his first paycheck of the season.
Clanton has had no such luck so far. He’s yet to make a cut, missing the weekend at the Sony Open and the Farmers Insurance Open, and he withdrew from the American Express.
Both need to improve their form if they want to retain their tour cards in 2027.
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