Nick Dunlap Faces Big Decision After Historic Win at the AmEx

Everyone from casual golfers to aspiring professional golfers to the Alabama men’s golf team were rooting for Nick Dunlap last night at the American Express.

Dunlap shot a twelve under par 60 on Saturday to catapult him into the lead, creating headlines about becoming the first amateur to win a PGA tour event since Phil Mickelson in 1991.

The Alabama Collegiate star started the day with a three-shot lead at 27 under par, with predictions that he would have to go low possibly into the 30s, in order to hold off his competition.

He had ice in his veins despite charges from Sam Burns, Justin Thomas, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, and Kevin Yu. Ultimately the field fell away leaving Dunlap a par on the 72nd to clinch his first title. ‘Inside left’ was the caddy call, the read was true, the five footer dropping to confirm the 20-year-old is forever etched in PGA Tour history.

Nick Dunlap has made the biggest jump in Official World Golf Ranking history. 🤯

(H/T: @VC606) pic.twitter.com/N6vB0yPSVR

— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) January 22, 2024

Now, it doesn’t take a psychic to know that Dunlap will be inundated with sponsorship deals, exemptions and invites (potentially LIV offers) having catapulted himself to overnight stardom. The decision now is whether he continues his studies, prolonging his amateur career, or ultimately turns professional in the near future.

Quick Hits:

• Despite winning the tournament, Dunlap doesn’t see a cent of that prize money due to his amateur status. The pay-outs follow as if he weren’t there, so Christiaan Bezuidenhout scoops $1.5m after his runner up finish thanks to a Sunday 65.
• Dunlap now has a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour through to 2026.
• He was already in the Masters field thanks to winning the US Amateur.
• If he turns pro, he will be in all of the remaining seven signature events this season, which have no cuts and $20 million prize purses.
• He has already achieved all there is to in the amateur game by winning a US Am and a US Junior Am.

The downsides:

• Turning pro means cutting his college years down, and misses the chance to win a ring with his teammates before embarking upon his individual career.
• He mentioned in previous interviews that it is a dream of his to top the US Amateur rankings

Dunlap explained to Golf Digest that he has his standards set high, and always likes having someone to chase in his quest for more PGA Tour wins.

“For me, that’s Tiger, right. Like I probably won’t ever even be close to some of the records he set, but I always try to set myself, you know, I’m trying to chase him. I know that’s an extremely high bar, and I don’t know if that comes off really cocky or not, but for me that’s something, I consider him the greatest ever, and for me to try to chase that, and even to be in somewhat of a conversation with him is, like I had said, it’s a dream come true, and it’s why I do what I do.”

The way in which sophomore Nick Dunlap conducted himself after a water-ball off the tee on 7 that saw a three-shot swing to Sam Burns’ birdie was mature beyond his years, and demonstrates that the college golfers of today are geared up to win straight out of school.

The message from the commentary booth on NBC drove home how Justin Thomas and Sam Burns can lean into experience, but it was Burns that choked on the 71^st and 72^nd holes, two terrible swings that dropped him out of contention (and out of the top five altogether).

Some say he should turn pro immediately and take advantage of this performance by making himself indispensable to the PGA Tour in 2024. Dunlap is represented by GSE who also brokered a deal for Jason Kokrak to join LIV, and represent Bryson DeChambeau. Agents will be rubbing their hands.

Dunlap could also take his time and finish college while taking advantage of his two-year exemption wherever possible. He gave us a brilliant Sunday and his composure under pressure shows signs of further wins to come, amateur and professional.

Cover Image via CNN