CHASKA, MINN. — Intimidation and a confident presence can play a crucial role in match play, which begins Wednesday at the U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine National. When it’s just a one-on-one affair, these intangible factors can often decide who prevails.

One guy who already has that covered is Luke Clanton, who has recorded three top-10 finishes in six starts on the PGA Tour this summer, including a fifth-place showing last week at the Wyndham Championship. The exceptional play has vaulted the Florida State rising junior to No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (becoming official later on Wednesday) and put him well down the path toward earning a tour card before he’s out of school thanks to the PGA Tour Accelerated Program.

After playing 39 holes on Sunday in Greensboro, Clanton arrived in Minnesota at midnight with an afternoon tee time for the first round of stroke play on Monday. He managed to post two rounds under par to finish T-19 and advance to match play.

MORE: A 39-year-old just beat all the kids at the U.S. Amateur—no, he can’t believe it either

But it’s not just Clanton’s play that will give him a mental edge in match play. On Wednesday morning as players were warming up for their Round of 64 matches, dozens of college, junior team and national program bags lined the range—with one notable exception.

Clanton strode up to the practice area, Trackman in hand, as his caddie placed his TaylorMade tour bag down. No college stand bag for the guy who has been a mainstay on PGA Tour leaderboards for the last couple months. What’s more, company logos lined Clanton’s shirt and hat, courtesy of NIL allowing amateurs to receive sponsorships.

MORE: These 11 match-play gamesmanship tricks will throw off your opponent

OK, so plenty of guys have NIL sponsorships. Yet by our count, no one other than Clanton is sporting a tour bag at the U.S. Amateur this week. It’s a subtle flex that serves as a constant reminder of Clanton’s recent success. He plays Dylan McDermott, the University of Colorado standout as indicated by his … stand bag in the Round of 64.

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com