NASSAU, Bahamas – Nick Dunlap should be a junior at the University of Alabama, prepping for a run at a national title but instead he’s a two-time winner on the PGA Tour, the favorite to win the Arnold Palmer Award for Rookie of the Year and a sponsor exemption into the 20-man field this week at the 2024 Hero World Challenge at Albany Club.
“A whirlwind,” the 20-year-old said during a pre-tournament press conference in summarizing his year. “Just to be sitting here at his tournament and to be in the Bahamas when I should be a junior in college is unbelievable and I definitely don’t take it for granted.”
Dunlap’s life changed when he won The American Express in late January, becoming the first amateur to win on the PGA Tour since Phil Mickelson in 1991 and just the third to do so since 1957. He turned pro shortly thereafter and validated the decision with another trophy after carding seven birdies and an eagle in his final round at the Barracuda Championship, his first win as a pro.
“Eight months ago I was sitting at a table with all my teammates playing college golf. The world’s come at me a little quick…you know, a lot of learning, ups and downs, but I’ve seen some really, really cool places and I’m getting to compete against the best players in the world week in and week out and it’s an honor,” said Dunlap, who teed off in the first round at 11:41 a.m. ET alongside Sam Burns.
This week, Dunlap is staying with another former Alabama standout, Justin Thomas, who made his own headlines as a prodigy when he played his first Tour event at age 16 in the 2009 Wyndham Championship.
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“It was weird talking to him last night asking what he was going to do for his 21st birthday, that hasn’t happened yet,” said Thomas, who has sprinkled in some big brother advice along the way. “I wish there are things I would have known at that age that just would have been helpful. Like anybody that I’m friendly with at that age, I want to be a resource and help if I can. But it’s not my place to barge in, but to kind of know I’m here type thing. It’s totally different, but it’s not harder than it needs to be, right? It’s just golf and you’re still trying to beat everybody, it’s just at a different level.”
Dunlap and tournament host Tiger Woods share an interesting claim to fame – they are the only two players to win both the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship and the U.S. Amateur.
Dunlap said he hasn’t pestered Woods for any advice, adding “Just to see him is enough for me.” But he has picked up some useful tips from Will Zalatoris. The two played a practice round at the Players Championship in March and Dunlap noted it wasn’t anything Zalatoris told him but he learned a great deal from how Zalatoris spent his time studying the course.
“It was just watching the way he prepared for that golf tournament and strategically where he chipped from, where he putted from, where he hit iron shots to, it was eye opening to me because I never really paid that much attention in practice rounds,” he said. “From there on out I took a step of actually learning the golf course on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. It may only save you a half a shot or a shot and that could mean the difference at the end of the year.”
During his crash-course introduction to the Tour this season, Dunlap determined that his good form is good enough to win, but when his game is off key it isn’t where it needs to be yet to be able to perform the way he’d like to every week.
“I still play like a 16-year-old sometimes and that’s going to not allow you to play the weekend,” he observed. “As I kind of learned, it’s not necessarily the great finishes that help you for the season-long race, it’s how do I turn a 50th into a 25th or how do I turn a missed cut into a 35th.”
Dunlap has the look of a star in the making and with more experience the sky could be the limit for the 20-year-old who is just starting to get comfortable with life on Tour.
“Yeah, just being more comfortable in my own skin and my own game and knowing that I don’t have to change anything, I just have to get better at a couple things to be able to compete out here,” he said.
Dunlap shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday to tie his playing partner Burns, four back of leader Cameron Young.
