Nick Dunlap Turning Pro After Historic PGA Tour Win
Last week, Nick Dunlap was a standout sophomore on the Alabama Golf Team. Fast forward to today, and Nick Dunlap is going to be playing in the Masters in April as a professional. The 20-year-old has decided to turn pro and forgo his sophomore season at Alabama after winning The American Express last weekend by one shot. “It was the easiest, hardest decision that I've ever had to make,” Dunlap said. It was obviously an extremely tough choice for the Huntsville, Alabama native to leave his hometown school along with the brotherhood he had as a member of the Crimson Tide Golf Team. Luckily for him, his teammates could not have been more supportive. “I was very fortunate that everyone had the same opinion about it, and my teammates were awesome and very supportive,” Dunlap explained. “It goes back to the family that Alabama has; they were very supportive and wanted me to chase my dreams.”
Dunlap made his mark at The American Express in the third round by shooting a 60, which was good for the low round of the tournament. He was then able to hold on for the win in the fourth and final round by one shot over Christiaan Bezuidenhout. Dunlap is the first amateur to win on the PGA Tour since the legendary Phil Mickelson in 1991. What makes this even more impressive, is that this was not some blow off tournament with below average competition. Some of the best golfers on Tour were competing in this tournament with the likes of Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffle, Adam Hadwin, Sam Burns, and even the World Rank #1 Scottie Scheffler. Dunlap proved that he belonged on Tour with this win, and whenever you are in the same breath as Phil Mickelson, you know you are doing something right.
Dunlap is now eligible to compete in all Tour events, including the signature majors like the Masters, U.S Open, and PGA Championship. He can start earning FedEx cup points, as well. This looks to be only the beginning of a promising young career for Dunlap, and we might be watching the next star of golf emerge in front of our eyes. He has chosen to opt out of this week’s Farmers Insurance Open which is currently happening at Torrey Pines in California. Dunlap’s first tournament as a professional golfer will be next week at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
