It was a logical question at the time, one that a lot of people were asking.
Should Nick Dunlap, fresh off of winning The American Express tournament last January to become the first amateur in 33 years to win a PGA Tour event, remain an amateur?
It was too late to take the money for The American Express, so maybe Dunlap should return to the University of Alabama for more seasoning as a top college golfer. Maybe he should try to defend his U.S. Amateur title, too.
Dunlap and his team decided that it was best to turn pro, take advantage of the playing opportunities in majors and PGA Tour signature events and get his seasoning under fire. The results were not overwhelming at first, so the question was asked again and again. Should Nick Dunlap have stayed an amateur?
Sunday at the Barracuda Championship in Truckee, Dunlap had the final say in the debate. A huge Sunday under the modified Stableford scoring format pushed Dunlap to his second PGA Tour victory. He is now the first player in PGA Tour history to win in the same calendar year as an amateur and as a professional.
It is an astounding feat for Dunlap, still just 20, to have two PGA Tour victories so young. And it is a major boost for The American Express, who can now market their defending champion as more than just a one-hit wonder.
Sure, the critics might howl that the Barracuda Championship is an alternate event from the British Open, and that the best players in the world weren’t in Truckee to face Dunlap. But PGA Tour names such as Charley Hoffman, Patrick Rodgers and Taylor Pendrith were all in the top 10 of the Barracuda, and names such as Martin Laird, Michael Kim and J.J. Spaun were further down the leaderboard. Names like Brandt Snedeker, Bill Haas and Aaron Baddeley missed the cut.
Winning the money
The victory also comes with less prize money than many PGA Tour events, but remember, Dunlap won no money at The American Express. The $720,000 first-place check at the Barracuda thus becomes the largest check of his career, putting him at $2 million for the year. And because the Barracuda is a dual-sanctioned event with the DP World Tour, Dunlap is now exempt on that tour through 2026, just as he is on the PGA Tour.
Beyond all of that, imagine the golfers who would jump off a building to have a PGA Tour win, any PGA Tour win, alternate event or not. And remember, when Dunlap won The American Express, names such as Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay were in the field.
Dunlap becomes the fifth golfer with multiple wins on the PGA Tour this year, joining Rory McIlroy, Scheffler, Schauffele and Robert MacIntyre.
Oh, and there is a great chance that Dunlap just played his way into the FedEx Cup playoffs, a pretty strong feat for a rookie. He’s 63rd in the standings now, and only the top 70 advance to the playoffs.
Anyone paying attention could see the results starting to come together for Dunlap. An 11th-place finish at The Memorial the week before the U.S. Open was a sign Dunlap’s game was gaining strength after a spring of missed cuts and finishes well out of the top 50. Then came a tie for 10th at the Rocket Mortgage event. Now comes his second victory, which some pros will say is more important than the first win, since it verifies a player and his game as more than a fluke.
After the Barracuda title, Dunlap credited a change in coaching to Josh Gregory and a change in his approach to the tour for better results.
“I’m traveling with a fishing pole now, so I’ve been trying to go fishing every evening and it’s just that little reset that helps me not focus on golf all day long,” Dunlap said. “I can kind of reset, have some fun, come back out with a new mindset the next day.”
Sunday at the Barracuda Championship, Dunlap reeled in his second big catch of the year. Maybe fans will see him reeling in more and more big fish, maybe even a repeat at The American Express in January.
Larry Bohannan is the golf writer for The Desert Sun. You can contact him at larry.bohannan@desertsun.com. Follow him on Facebook or on Twitter at @larry_bohannan.
