Reigning US Amateur champion Nick Dunlap grew to become the primary beginner since 1991 to win a PGA Tour title, successful a back-nine showdown on Sunday to seize the American Express match.
Dunlap, a 20-year-old sophomore on the University of Alabama, sank the successful par putt from simply inside six toes on the 18th gap to fireside a two-under-par 70 on the Pete Dye Stadium Course — one in every of three programs used this week.
Despite his victory nonetheless, Dunlap won’t take residence any cash from the win.
As an beginner, he’s ineligible for the winner’s prize of $1.51 million, which works to runner-up Christiaan Bezuidenhout, who completed on 260 after a closing 65.
Dunlap completed on 29-under 259 to set a 72-hole document low successful rating, breaking the mark of 28-under set by Patrick Reed in 2014.
“I felt this script today was already written,” Dunlap stated. “I was going to give it everything I had whether I shoot 75 or 65 or 70.”
Dunlap grew to become the primary beginner to win a US PGA Tour occasion since Phil Mickelson captured the 1991 Northern Telecom Open in Tucson, Arizona.
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Dunlap additionally grew to become the second-youngest PGA Tour winner previously 90 years, trailing solely Jordan Spieth’s victory at 19 on the 2013 John Deere Classic.
The historic victory didn’t come with out tension-packed drama.
Dunlap sank a birdie putt on the par-5 sixteenth to share the lead with Twenty fourth-ranked American Sam Burns, who discovered water off the tee on the par-3 seventeenth on the day’s hardest gap whereas Dunlap was on the inexperienced 35 toes from the opening.
Dunlap made a routine par whereas Burns stumbled with a double bogey and the beginner led by two with the par-4 18th remaining.
But forward of him on the 18th inexperienced, South Africa’s Bezuidenhout birdied to tug inside one.
At 18, Dunlap’s tee shot went means into the proper tough and his method stopped 75 toes from the opening down a slope.
Dunlap pitched his third to simply inside six toes after which sank his par putt for the victory
“Nothing like I have ever felt,” Dunlap stated. “It’s so cool to be out here and experience this as an amateur.
“Whether I had made that or missed that, if you would have told me Wednesday night I would have a putt to win this golf tournament, I wouldn’t believe you.”
Sharing third on 261 have been Taiwan’s Kevin Yu, who matched his career-low PGA spherical with a 63, and Americans Xander Schauffele and Justin Thomas.
Despite lacking out on the winner’s examine, Dunlap will grow to be eligible to take PGA Tour membership at any time within the 2024 PGA marketing campaign.
Then he would obtain the advantages of any PGA Tour winner, which embody membership by the 2026 season plus entries into the Masters and PGA Championship and any unplayed “signature” occasions.
Dunlap already has berths on this yr’s Masters, PGA and British Open from his US Amateur triumph if he’s an beginner when the occasions tee off.