On Sunday afternoon, Nick Dunlap became the first amateur to win a PGA Tour event since Phil Mickelson in 1991. He beat Xander Schauffele and Justin Thomas at American Express to become the youngest player to accomplish this feat since 1910.
On Thursday, he made it official. Dunlap will forgo the remainder of his college eligibility and turn pro.
“If someone told me a week ago today that I would have the opportunity to make a dream come true at 20 years old, it would be pretty surreal,” said an emotional Dunlap, who lives in Tuscaloosa.
However, this decision was not made lightly.
“This was the easiest and hardest decision I've ever had to make.”
he explained in detail After his first press conference, his college teammates and coaches spoke to Golf Channel about what it meant to him.
“Parting ways with my teammates in the middle of the year…feeling like I was leaving them out to dry a little bit was difficult for me, and that weighed heavily on my decision.”
The Alabama Crimson Tide golfer, who entered the tournament as an amateur, had to forfeit the $1.5 million awarded to the winner. Instead, all players below him moved up one place in the prize money.
Despite missing out on a life-changing amount of money, Dunlap will receive a PGA Tour Pro card through 2026. He will also be eligible to compete in all remaining signature events for his 2024 year.
“Playing on the PGA Tour and playing in a major has always been a dream of mine since I was a kid…I feel like I got the golden ticket to make it happen.”
The talented 20-year-old is the only player to ever win both the U.S. Amateur and the U.S. Junior Amateur, Tiger Woods.
Perhaps a new bright star is on the rise.
Kendall Capps is the senior editor of SB Nation's Playing Through.For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough On all major social media platforms.
