CALEDON, Ontario – In most other scenarios, Luke Clanton would’ve crashed hard after a nearly sleepless night. This one was different.

Thursday marked Clanton’s first day as a PGA TOUR member, and he spent it alongside career Grand Slam champion Rory McIlroy in a star-powered RBC Canadian Open grouping that also included Ludvig Åberg. Clanton didn’t really need his alarm Thursday, his mind racing as he considered the possibilities for two rounds alongside a career Grand Slam champion – one of his childhood heroes – and for the rest of his career.

“The first tee shot … I've never experienced anything like that,” Clanton said afterward. “First pro start with Rory McIlroy, it's definitely a day to remember.”

For three highly accomplished college golfers, Thursday was the first day of work, the day where a lifetime passion became a full-time job. Anyone in the working world can relate to the years of schooling – elementary, middle and high school, and maybe some late evenings in the college library – leading to a full-time job offer that brings pride with a hint of relief.

Clanton, David Ford and Gordon Sargent debuted as PGA TOUR pros on Thursday after earning their cards via PGA TOUR University. It marked the first year that multiple players joined the TOUR after the spring collegiate golf season through the PGA TOUR University program, which debuted in 2021 and allowed for direct TOUR access beginning in 2023.

“It's such a blessing,” Ford said afterward. “I'm pumped to be out here and making my first start with my card.”

“Just be happy,” said Sargent, who set his alarm for 5 a.m. Thursday but was up at 3 a.m., of his first-tee mentality. “First real job, so a little interesting … we’re here on the PGA TOUR.”

Most new professional golfers open their career in anonymity, maybe at PGA TOUR Americas Q-School, or trying their hand at Korn Ferry Tour Monday qualifiers, or attacking the mini-tour circuit. But Clanton, Ford and Sargent bypassed the lower rungs of the ladder via PGA TOUR University, earning immediate TOUR membership that extends through the 2026 season. It means these three players have a full summer and fall to hone their game without needing to worry about status or eligibility (although Ford wasn’t shy to note Thursday that he has big goals for the current season, far from being satisfied to just soak it in).

These three players entered the TOUR spotlight in contrasting ways. Clanton is already acclaimed at the game’s highest level after contending frequently in TOUR events as an amateur; he became the first amateur since Jack Nicklaus in 1961 to earn three or more top-10 finishes in a season (Clanton had four in 2024, including runner-up finishes at the John Deere Classic and The RSM Classic). He earned his first PGA TOUR University Accelerated point by qualifying for last year’s U.S. Open, between his sophomore and junior seasons at Florida State, and he earned his 20th point to clinch TOUR membership with a made cut at the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches in February. It represented a meteoric rise for the south Florida native who honed his game at public-access Country Club of Miami, and the payoff was a tee time alongside a hero in McIlroy to begin his TOUR career.

Vanderbilt graduate Sargent represented the flip side. Sargent won the 2022 NCAA individual title as a freshman and then became the first player to clinch his TOUR card via PGA TOUR University Accelerated, earning his 20th point by competing in the World Amateur Team Championships in fall 2023. Sargent could’ve accepted his TOUR card after his junior season in spring 2024 (as Clanton did this week), but the long-hitting Birmingham, Alabama, native elected to return to Vanderbilt and complete his degree in economics. He did just that, walking at graduation on May 9 in Nashville.

Golf-wise, the last year has been a struggle for Sargent, for whom things had always come easy on the course, he said this week. Different areas of the game became more difficult, which led to mental challenges, and the vicious cycle compounded with a lengthy stretch of substandard results – his most recent top-10 finish came at last summer’s Northeast Amateur, and he didn’t qualify for Vanderbilt’s starting lineup for this spring’s NCAA regionals. He also shot an opening-round 80 at U.S. Open Final Qualifying on Monday and withdrew before the second round. There was reason to believe this week might be overwhelming for Sargent as a result – but the soft-spoken sneaker enthusiast displayed poise throughout his early-week media availability, expressing gratitude for conversations with veteran TOUR pros like Justin Thomas and Billy Horschel in recent months, and for the chance to continue learning from the game’s top pros. He hasn’t shied away from the moment.

“Definitely a lot of different feelings,” Sargent said earlier this week. “Excited, nervous for a new journey. Yeah, just can't wait for what the future holds. I've been waiting for this moment for a while. I tried to prepare myself as best as possible, but yeah, it's a different animal. Trying to take it step by step, learn as I go, and just see how good I can get.”

The three newest TOUR members all acquitted themselves well in their first day on the job, albeit not in spectacular fashion. Clanton opened in even-par 70, as did Ford, and Sargent drained an 11-foot birdie on the final hole for a 1-over 71. This day was never about the scores, though. It represented a lifelong dream achieved. Ford could hear his mom Karen cheering as putts dropped throughout the day; she walked all 18 holes to support her son after a whirlwind last week where Ford attended PGA TOUR New Member Orientation last Thursday, then flew to Columbus, Ohio to accept the NCAA Division I Jack Nicklaus Award that recognizes the top male collegiate golfer, and then headed to Canada for Monday’s 36-hole U.S. Open qualifier (he didn’t advance) before turning his attention to RBC Canadian Open preparation. It was Ford’s reward for an impressive senior season at the University of North Carolina, in which he won five individual titles to break from a crowded pack and finish No. 1 on the 2025 PGA TOUR University Ranking (following in the footsteps of Åberg and Michael Thorbjornsen from the past two years).

Sargent’s parents and girlfriend walked all 18 holes as well, undeterred by the stop-and-start rains throughout the morning as they relished a moment that was built across two decades on the grind. Those moments didn’t dissolve after Thursday’s round – they will just build toward new memories (like Thursday afternoon, where Sargent and his family attended a Toronto Blue Jays game).

There’s much more to life than a PGA TOUR card, of course, yet tons of sweat equity is contained in that card – and this week pays it off with a dream job achieved.

And “job” can be a loose term.

“I don't know if you really call this work,” Clanton observed. “I mean, we play golf for a living, and it's amazing.”