At age 32, R.B. Clyburn’s path to the 121st U.S. Amateur Championship is a bit different than many of his fellow competitors at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club this week. He is nearly a decade older than the field average and while he played a sport in college, it wasn’t golf.
In the mid-2000s, Clyburn excelled as a multi-sport athlete at Cartersville High School in suburban Atlanta. At 6-foot-5, 225 pounds, he was a standout football and basketball player, eventually choosing to play wide receiver at Georgia Tech.
“I still get chills thinking about running out in front of the Ramblin’ Wreck every Saturday,” said Clyburn, who played from 2007-09. “Having 80,000 fans cheering you on was such a rush.”
When a coaching change shifted Clyburn’s role from pass catcher to more of a blocker, he began thinking about what was next. Upon graduation, he traded in his spikes for high tops and despite having no college basketball experience, he pursued a professional hoops career overseas.
Thanks to his abilities as a sharpshooter and defensive stopper, Clyburn landed a roster spot on the Derbyshire Arrows in England’s National Basketball League. He had additional stints playing for the Chelsea Gulls in Australia and the Mansfield Giants back in England.
“It was really competitive and intense playing overseas,” said Clyburn. “They take it as serious as the top Premier League football players.”
His solid play earned him a tryout for the NBA’s Developmental League in 2014. Though he wasn’t drafted, Clyburn continued to pursue a career in basketball as an official. He became a full-time referee in 2015 and now works games for the Southeastern, Sun Belt and Big South conferences.
“I’ve gotten lots of texts from my fellow officials,” said Clyburn. “I’m not sure if I’ll feel more pressure on the course or when I had to make a big call on the court.”
While Clyburn never pursued golf professionally, he has played since he was young, calling the game his “true passion.” His current handicap is +3.9 and he qualified for this year’s U.S. Amateur by surviving a 2-for-1 playoff at Capital City Club’s Crabapple Course in Atlanta.
“To have qualified for the U.S. Amateur is my single greatest accomplishment in sports,” said Clyburn. “It’s hard to describe how good that feels.”
Making the week at Oakmont even more emotional is that Clyburn’s father and biggest supporter, Robbie, passed away this past year after a five-year battle with cancer.
“The older I get the more I realize how special my dad was,” said Clyburn, whose mother, Pam, and fiancé Natalie Peterson, are at Oakmont supporting him. “He was the reason I played golf, my biggest fan, biggest supporter. I’ll always have those memories with him on the course.”