Nicholas Dunlap becomes first amateur to win on PGA Tour since 1991

Nicholas Dunlap of Huntsville, Alabama made golf history on Sunday with his victory at the American Express from La Quinta, California. At the age of 20, he became the first amateur to win a PGA Tour event since six-time grand slam champion Phil Mickelson of San Diego, California won the Northern Telecom Open in Tucson, Arizona, on January 13, 1991.

Dunlap posted a four-round score of -29. He opened with a first round score of eight-under-par 64, a second round score of seven-under-par 65, a third round score of 12-under-par 60, and a fourth round score of two-under-par 70. A sophomore at the University of Alabama, Dunlap won the tournament despite posting a score of double bogey on the seventh hole on Sunday in round four.

A major reason why Dunlap won the tournament was because of three eagles. He eagled the seventh and 11th holes at the Nicklaus Tournament Course on Thursday, and the sixth hole at the La Quinta Country Club on Saturday.

Four golfers were in contention. Christiaan Bezuidenhout of Delmas, South Africa was alone in second place at -28 and one stroke back. Meanwhile, three golfers were tied for third place at -27 and two strokes back. There you could find South Korea’s Kevin Yu, Xander Schauffele of San Diego, and two-time major champion Justin Thomas of Louisville, Kentucky. Thomas won the 2017 PGA Championship and 2022 PGA Championship.

Dunlap, meanwhile, has decided to withdraw from the 2024 Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego. Golf’s newest star has a major decision on his hands. That is when is it the right time to turn professional.

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