Nick Dunlap is already a PGA Tour winner and will make his professional debut this week at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. As an amateur, Dunlap won the American Express in La Quinta, Calif., earlier this month, becoming the first player to do so since Phil Mickelson in 1991.
The past two weeks have been a whirlwind for the 20-year-old.
Prior to his official debut as a professional golfer, he responded to media interviews. Please explain what is blurry That was the case last week.
“It’s busy, but it’s also cool,” he said. “I’ve had so many moments where I just take it all in. I’m overwhelmed. I’ve been doing this my whole life and dreamed of playing golf on the PGA Tour. I’m finally here and at 20 years old I get to do it. That’s really great.”
After winning, he withdrew from the Farmers Insurance Open and returned to Alabama. From there, Dunlap decided to turn pro with the help of his teammates.
“I knew I would take advantage of the opportunity I was given and probably turn pro, but before I went back I talked to my teammates, my parents, my coaches and got their opinions and their two cents. I also thought, ‘Anything is fine,”’ Dunlap said. “They all supported me in whatever I wanted to do in the future, whether it was staying in college or pursuing my professional dreams.”
The youngster played practice rounds with Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns in preparation for Pebble Beach. Two of the tour’s young stars were there to mentor the former Crimson Tide golfer.
“Scotty and Sam were great,” Dunlap said. “I’ve reached out to them multiple times over the last week to get their advice and opinions on some of the things I’m working on going forward. They’re some of the best players on the planet. We’ve proven it. Learn from them what they do in practice rounds, how they prepare, and take that into your own game.”
In addition to asking the two for advice, he turned to the PlayStation gaming device. Prepare To Pebble Beach.
“I remember playing here on the PGA Tour’s PlayStation games, so it’s great to be able to come out here and see it for the first time,” he said.
For young golfers, video games may be the only way to play an iconic course like Pebble. Perhaps this knowledge will help him when he actually takes on the track this week.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.If you want to know more about golf, please follow us. @_PlayingThrough On all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirls and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
