Tag: Nick Dunlap

Did Nick Dunlap make the right move in turning pro? The answer has become pretty clear

He is now the first player in PGA Tour history to win in the same calendar year as an amateur and a pro.

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.

2024 Barracuda Championship
Nick Dunlap reacts after making an eagle on the 15th hole during the final round of the 2024 Barracuda Championship at the Old Greenwood course at Tahoe Mountain Club. (Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

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. 

2024 Barracuda Championship prize money payouts for each PGA Tour player

It’s the fifth and final opposite-field event on the PGA Tour’s 2024 schedule.

It’s the fifth and final opposite-field event on the PGA Tour’s 2024 schedule.

But the money still spends. There was a $4 million purse and a $720,000 first-place prize on the line at the Old Greenwood course at Tahoe Mountain Club at the 2024 Barracuda Championship.

The lone Modified Stableford scoring system event of the season rewards aggressive play and Nick Dunlap, who had seven birdies and an eagle Sunday, was the most rewarded this week.

Dunlap won for the second time on the PGA Tour this season after scoring 19 points in the final round for a four-day total of 49 points.

Here’s the complete look at the money won at the 2024 Barracuda Championship.

Pos. Player Score Earnings
1 Nick Dunlap 49 $720,000
2 Vince Whaley 47 $436,000
3 Patrick Fishburn 46 $276,000
4 Mac Meissner 44 $196,000
T5 Taylor Pendrith 43 $154,500
T5 Patrick Rodgers 43 $154,500
7 Hayden Buckley 41 $135,000
T8 Patton Kizzire 40 $117,000
T8 Charley Hoffman 40 $117,000
T8 Rico Hoey 40 $117,000
T11 Henrik Norlander 39 $97,000
T11 Justin Suh 39 $97,000
T13 Lukas Nemecz 38 $76,000
T13 Jayden Schaper 38 $76,000
T13 Chad Ramey 38 $76,000
T13 Max Greyserman 38 $76,000
T17 Mark Hubbard 37 $59,000
T17 Mitchell Schow 37 $59,000
T17 Kevin Chappell 37 $59,000
T17 S.H. Kim 37 $59,000
T21 Andrew Putnam 36 $45,267
T21 Martin Laird 36 $45,267
T21 Paul Waring 36 $45,267
T24 Jake Knapp 35 $33,400
T24 Chesson Hadley 35 $33,400
T24 S.Y. Noh 35 $33,400
T24 Michael Kim 35 $33,400
T24 Marcus Armitage 35 $33,400
T29 Sam Stevens 34 $26,800
T29 Adrien Saddier 34 $26,800
T29 J.J. Spaun 34 $26,800
T29 Chan Kim 34 $26,800
T33 MJ Daffue 33 $21,800
T33 Todd Clements 33 $21,800
T33 Alex Smalley 33 $21,800
T33 Sean O’Hair 33 $21,800
T33 Casey Jarvis 33 $21,800
T38 Nate Lashley 32 $18,600
T38 Sam Ryder 32 $18,600
T40 Neal Shipley 31 $16,600
T40 Lanto Griffin 31 $16,600
T40 Ben Silverman 31 $16,600
T40 Ian Gilligan (a) 31 $0
T44 Maximilian Kieffer 30 $13,400
T44 Joseph Bramlett 30 $13,400
T44 Chez Reavie 30 $13,400
T44 Oliver Wilson 30 $13,400
T44 Maximilian Rottluff 30 $13,400
49 Will Gordon 29 $11,160
T50 Ben Taylor 28 $10,440
T50 Cameron Champ 28 $10,440
52 Robby Shelton 27 $10,040
T53 Alejandro Tosti 25 $9,640
T53 Hurly Long 25 $9,640
T53 Chase Hanna 25 $9,640
56 Ryan Brehm 24 $9,400
T57 Matti Schmid 23 $9,240
T57 Sam Bairstow 23 $9,240
T57 Santiago Tarrio 23 $9,240
60 Espen Kofstad 22 $9,080
T61 Michael Thorbjornsen 21 $8,960
T61 Scott Piercy 21 $8,960
63 Nick Watney 18 $8,840
64 Scott Gutschewski 16 $8,760
65 Peter Malnati 14 $8,680

Nick Dunlap, still just 20, wins 2024 Barracuda Championship for second PGA Tour title

This time, Dunlap gets to cash the winner’s check.

Nick Dunlap has won again on the PGA Tour but this time, he gets to cash the winner’s check.

Dunlap scored 19 points in Sunday’s final round of the Barracuda Championship, the fifth and final opposite-field event on the PGA Tour’s 2024 schedule and also the lone event that uses the Modified Stableford scoring system.

Dunlaps’s day matched the highest single-day scoring mark of the week at the Old Greenwood course at Tahoe Mountain Club. His Sunday scorecard featured seven birdies (worth two points) and an eagle (worth five) and would’ve added up to a 62 it it were a stroke-play event.

His eagle came courtesy of a 55-foot bomb on the par-5 15th.

Dunlap vaulted up the leaderboard to finish with 49 points. He then had to play the waiting game to see if third-round leader Mac Meissner or anyone else could catch up. But no one could and Dunlap, who doesn’t turn 21 until December 23, collected a second piece of hardware this year.

Dunlap won the American Express in January to become the first amateur since Phil Mickelson in 1991 to win on Tour as an amateur. His amateur status, though, kept him from collecting the top prize of $1.512 million. Dunlap turned pro shortly after that and now has a second Tour win on his resume. His win this time around is good for $720,000.

He’s the first golfer in PGA Tour history win as both an amateur and a pro in the same season.

As he awaited the trophy ceremony, a camera captured a phone conversation Dunlap had with his mom, who insisted she’s not missing his next tournament.

Dunlap, who was No. 95 on the FedEx Cup points list heading into the Barracuda, has shot up to 63rd, which, if it holds, would put him into the FedEx Cup Playoffs in his rookie season. The top 70 make the field at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis.

Nick Dunlap, very much in Rocket Mortgage contention, admits PGA Tour life is ‘a little lonely’

Despite a great showing in Detroit, the change has been difficult, Dunlap said.

Nick Dunlap is now in his 15th event as a professional golfer since shocking the world by winning The American Express in La Quinta as an amateur last January. And while he’s more comfortable now with the professional life, Dunlap admits the pro game can be frustrating.

“Honestly, the most frustrating thing is that I’ve had to realize that I can’t attack pins with sand wedges sometimes,” Dunlap said. “I think (recent tournaments were) pretty eye-opening for me in realizing that sometimes you’re not going to hit the green, even if you are on the fairway.

“It’s taken me a little while to realize how to play some of these golf courses,” Dunlap added. “Even par is a great score. Most of the time on the weekends it gets even harder.”

Dunlap, still just 20, has faced plenty of questions since deciding to turn pro after winning The American Express in La Quinta, making him the first amateur to win on the PGA Tour in 33 years. Should he have stayed at the University of Alabama? Was his game ready for the PGA Tour, even though he had just beaten a field that included world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and PGA Championship winner Xander Schauffele?

The questions have grown louder as Dunlap’s year has continued. While he’s surpassed $1 million in earnings in his 14 starts — he won no money at The American Express — he has missed five cuts and has been in the top 15 in an event just twice. He missed the cut in all three major championships he’s played this year, and he was 66th in the most recent event he played, the Travelers Championship. He was a strong 12th the week before the U.S. Open at The Memorial.

This week at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit, however, Dunlap is in contention at the midway point, building off an opening-round 67. He’s 8 under through 36 holes, just five strokes behind leader Akshay Bhatia.

For Dunlap, it is all part of a learning process.

“I always kind of thought coming out here that I had a lot to learn,” Dunlap said. “I thought that my game was good enough. But these guys are so good consistently week in and week out. I knew I needed to do a couple things to be able to maintain my game, compete week in and week out. I’m three, four months into it. Kind of starting to get a grasp on it.”

One reason for Dunlap to turn pro was that his The American Express win makes him exemption for PGA Tour events through 2026, so he doesn’t have to worry about piecing together a schedule like a regular rookie. In addition, Dunlap was exempt in 2024 for all eight of the PGA Tour’s signature events, most of which do not have a cut and therefore provide a guaranteed paycheck for a player.

Lots of learning

2024 U.S. Open
Nick Dunlap reacts after putting on the first green during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

But the change has been difficult, Dunlap said, with thoughts of his University of Alabama teammates during college golf season.

Despite being comfortable with the decision to turn pro after The American Express win, a one-shot victory over Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Dunlap said he still kept an eye on his Alabama teammates and their trip through the NCAA championships, a trip that ended well short of an NCAA title.

“I still in a way feel bad. I feel like I left them hanging,” Dunlap said. “I would have loved to be with them at regionals, NCAAs the week after.”

What Dunlap has found, though, is new supporters on the PGA Tour.

“Honestly, a lot of the guys out here have been very, very nice to me, always offering up support and help in anything they do,” Dunlap said. “It was a little bit of an odd situation, but I’m 20, and there’s not a whole lot of my peers out here currently.

“It can be a little lonely at times. Feel like you’re on an island a little bit,” he added. “A lot of the guys have been very gracious and reaching out, making sure that I don’t feel that way.”

Dunlap also recently had plenty of television time, not for his current play but for The American Express win. American Express is a major partner of the United States Golf Association and used some of its commercial time during the recent U.S. Open to replay highlights of Dunlap’s win in La Quinta.

For now, Dunlap is 93rd on the FedEx Cup playoffs points list, well short of the 70th-place finish he’ll need at the end of the regular season to make the FedEx St. Jude Classic, the first of the three playoff tournaments. That means Dunlap has just five events left on the regular schedule to reach the playoffs, starting with this week’s Rocket Mortgage.

Should amateur golfers collect the purse if they win? PGA Tour rookie Nick Dunlap’s answer might surprise you

Dunlap must be in favor of a system that would have allowed him to collect the massive payday, right?

PINEHURST, N.C. — At the end of the annual USGA press conference before the U.S. Open with CEO Mike Whan, president Fred Perpall and chief championships officer John Bodenhamer, a reporter asked whether amateurs should now be paid their share of any winnings at the organization’s events.

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Noting the changes to college athletics like NIL (name, image, likeness), Whan said the USGA has tried to stay on the front edge of the debate, even though it’s one that seems to be constantly changing.

“We’ve tried to evolve NIL and amateur status, as the game has, we as the USGA kind of created an NIL and amateur status angle before the NCAA did, so golf was kind of ahead of that time,” Whan said in advance of this week’s tournament at Pinehurst No. 2. “I’m not sure. You may be right. We may be heading to that path sooner rather than later.”

Interestingly enough, the next group press conference scheduled for Wednesday was Nick Dunlap, the last amateur to win a PGA Tour event when he did so at the American Express in January.

U.S. OPEN: Tournament hub | Hole-by-hole | Odds, picks | How to watch

The 20-year-old Dunlap, then a sophomore at the University of Alabama, did not receive a dime after winning the title as amateur players are not allowed to collect any prize money, and there is no avenue for him to retroactively declare himself a pro to collect the $1,512,000 first-place check.

Certainly, Dunlap must be in favor of a system that would have allowed him to collect the massive payday, right?

His answer might surprise you.

2024 The American Express
Nick Dunlap reacts after winning the The American Express at Pete Dye Stadium Course on January 21, 2024 in La Quinta, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

“I honestly don’t think so,” Dunlap said on Wednesday. “I think there should be maybe some kind of end of the week to help out with some of the expenses maybe. Weeks like this are expensive, especially at Augusta.

“It does kind of suck that you can’t make any money, so you’re kind of out of whether it’s five, 10, 15, 20 grand, whatever it is. Some kind of help at the end of the week would be nice.”

Dunlap became the first amateur to win a PGA Tour event since Phil Mickelson in 1991 by winning at PGA West Stadium Course, setting a tournament record by finishing 29 under.

“I think teeing it up with an ‘A’ next to your name, you know you’re not going to be paid, which is a little bit unfortunate,” Dunlap said. “I wish we could, now saying that after AmEx. Like I said, you know you can’t get paid. Like I said, end of the week would be nice to get something back.”

While Dunlap missed out on a big check in January, he’s done just fine for himself after turning pro soon after the victory. With his T-12 at the Memorial last weekend, Dunlap now has amassed over $1 million for the season. He also sits 93rd in FedEx Cup points, meaning he’s within striking distance for the PGA Tour ‘s playoffs later this year. The top 70 players will qualify for the FedEx St. Jude Championship. And he’s had success at Pinehurst before, winning the North and South Amateur on the famed course last July just before he captured the U.S. Amateur.

So even without the cushy check he could have collected in the Coachella Valley, life as Nick Dunlap is pretty good these days.

“It was really, really cool for me to see everything that I kind of worked for come true. Playing out on the PGA Tour, making that putt at AmEx, it’s kind of what I always dreamed of as a kid. Like every putt was to win something. For me to have that putt was really cool,” he said. “I always kind of thought coming out here that I would have to learn a lot. I thought that my good was good enough. But these guys are so good consistently week in and week out. I knew I needed to do a couple things to be able to maintain my game, compete week in and week out.

“I’m three, four months into it. Kind of starting to get a grasp on it.”

Why Scottie Scheffler is glad Nick Dunlap asked for Masters advice

“He should be going to class, and instead, he’s playing in the Masters.”

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Scottie Scheffler is in a much different place than he was three years ago.

The 2022 Masters Tournament champion has crept into veteran territory and is noticing the changes in his approach.

“I think in terms of preparation, I think I valued much more rest going into these types of weeks,” the 27-year-old said Tuesday. “I think when I first came out in my career, I didn’t really value rest as much as I should have. I was a really big practicer, and I would say I probably practiced too much at tournaments. So, trying to work on getting quality rest and being ready to compete.”

The top-ranked golfer in the world, Scheffler enters this week’s Masters with wins at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill and the Players Championship in back-to-back weeks. He tied for second at the Texas Children’s Houston Open two weeks ago and has seven top-10 finishes in his last eight starts.

He played a practice round Tuesday with 20-year-old rookie Nick Dunlap, who made sure to pick Scheffler’s brain as much as possible.

“He’s in a difficult spot where he should be in college right now. He should be going to class, and instead, he’s playing in the Masters. He asks us a lot of questions, and I try to give him the best answers that I can,” Scheffler said. “Yeah, I feel like when I first came out, there were a lot of older guys that gave me really good advice. And I’m just trying to kind of pay it forward to the next group of guys.

“I think I’m seven years older than Nick, which is pretty wild. I still feel like the young guy out here, and I’m kind of trending now towards the older end of the spectrum now, which is really weird.”

Legendary caddie unlocked Scottie Scheffler’s potential at Augusta

Before Scheffler’s Masters win in 2022, he had a chance meeting with legendary Augusta National Golf Club caddie Carl Jackson. The rest, as they say, is history.

“Well, I’m not going to expand too much on Carl’s secrets in front of people, but … No, it was maybe my second Masters, it was either my second or third. I sat kind of in the back of the caddie house with Carl. And, yeah, he gave me a yardage book that had some of the — where he — I think he called it grain, where some of the slopes are. And it’s just a yardage book that has some arrows in it.”

Scheffler still studies the yardage book to this day.

“I’m not going to tell you where the arrows are pointing,” he said, laughing. “But it’s something that I’ll kind of review at night and I always look at it in the lead-up to the tournament just because there is kind of some weird stuff that goes on around the golf course. And, I mean, he’s such a peaceful guy. So, it was really nice just kind of listening to him talk about the golf course.”

Why the highlight of Wyndham Clark’s week had nothing to do with his $2.2 million paycheck (Hint: it’s Masters-related)

Clark will make his debut at Augusta National next month.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — In honor of Players Championship week on the PGA Tour and with a tip of the cap to Gary Koch’s most famous call here, Wyndham Clark’s last week was better than most.

Sure, the reigning U.S. Open champion drained a 26-foot birdie to win the B flight of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club & Lodge. That timely putt earned him $2.2 million for finishing a distant five strokes behind Scottie Scheffler, but the difference between a solo second and what otherwise would have been a T-2 with Shane Lowry was worth a cool $400,000. That alone would make for a very good week, right, and good work if you can get it.

But the highlight of Clark’s week had nothing to do with Arnie’s Place. To borrow the slogan of API presenting sponsor Mastercard, Clark’s best round of the week was priceless. His week, which began last Monday with an appearance at Wells Fargo Championship media day in Charlotte, soon got a whole lot better when Quail Hollow founder and Augusta National Golf Club member Johnny Harris flew with Clark — private, of course — to Augusta, Georgia, for his first trip around the famed Alister MacKenzie layout.

MORE: Wyndham Clark absolved of rules violation at Arnold Palmer Invitational, but not everyone agrees

“It was amazing,” Clark said. “That’s a place I always dreamed of playing at and then to do it with my dad and brother was awesome. We were walking the first couple of holes and we were just looking at each other and saying this is so cool.”

Clark already has plans to return to Augusta National with his caddie John Ellis after the Players and ramp up his preparation for his Masters debut next month.

“We’re going to play one fun round together, probably have a good bet, and then we’ll get down to business,” Clark said.

He’s not the only wide-eyed Masters rookie who has already made his maiden voyage around the course ranked third in Golfweek’s Best Classic Courses in the U.S. list. Nick Dunlap, the reigning U.S. Amateur champ and winner of The American Express in January, paid a visit late last month during the Mexico Open at Vidanta, playing for two days with another pair of first-timers Lee Hodges and Denny McCarthy and veteran Chris Kirk.

“In my opinion, it’s the most special place in the world as far as golf courses go,” Dunlap said. “There’s a different feeling about it and it took me a day and a half to where I would stop just looking around and be like, man, I’ve got to play golf here. There’s such an awe factor, I mean, just driving down Magnolia Lane and then the golf course is just perfect. It’s the most nervous I’ve been for a shot that means nothing. It’s just different.”

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Nick Dunlap kicked off the Arnold Palmer Invitational as a single. This is what he thought about it

He has got another round on Friday to enjoy the company of playing solo.

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Arnold Palmer Invitational started Thursday morning with a single leading off the field of 69 in the signature event at Bay Hill Club & Lodge. It’s a rare instance – no one seems to remember the last time that happened – and it caused a bit of an uproar on social media with the likes of Colt Knost imploring, “What are we doing here? Let one more player in,” and Andrew Novak, who has three straight top 10s on Tour, proclaiming, “I’ll play as marker this week, but if I top 10 again y’all gotta pay me. Deal?”

Nick Dunlap, the 20-year-old rookie, making his fourth start as a professional following his victory as an amateur in January at the American Express, drew the role of playing solo at 7:45 a.m. Thursday and 10:45 a.m. Friday. Viktor Hovland, for one, was perplexed when told of the odd circumstances.

“I’ve never done that before,” Hovland said. “I think that feels a little bit weird but at the same time that’s like going out and practicing for yourself. Yeah, it would be weird.”

Dunlap agreed that his initial reaction was that’s “weird.” But his tune had changed after going out and shooting a rollercoaster round of even-par 72.

“Personally, I like it as weird as that is to say,” Dunlap said. “To put it in perspective I was playing foursomes in college and it’s a lot better to be playing as a single than a foursome.”

Dunlap was sent out as a single because Tony Finau elected not to play in the event leaving an odd number of players this week. Under Tour regulations, there is no alternate list for a player out of Finau’s category. (This rule should be revised to fill out the field, as Knost suggested, even if it means allowing an extra sponsor invite.) Another option would have been to send him out as a three-ball in the final group, an idea Justin Thomas suggested would be a viable solution.

“These events don’t have alternates for a reason, you have to qualify to get in them,” he said. “I’m sure there’s a different or better way to go about it, but it is very strange.”

API chief referee Ken Tackett explained to Golf Digest how Dunlap was selected as the most reasonable player to go off first as a single.  “Nick was the only one in his category [as a tournament winner], and we went to him and explained it, and he was fine with it,” Tackett said.

“They did all they could do with the criteria for getting into (signature) events is pretty stern and they want to stick with that,” Dunlap said, defending the decision. “I’m just happy to be here.”

But Dunlap admitted it took him a little time to get into his routine, and he made a triple bogey at the third hole. Asked what club he used when his ball landed in the water, he replied, “Which time?”

It was driver off the tee and a 6-iron for those scoring at home. “I didn’t like the start,” Dunlap said. “I was struggling staying in a couple and stayed in them too long and pulled them.”

But after being 4 over at the turn, he responded with five birdies coming home, including at the final two holes. Asked whether he would have preferred to play with a marker, a common occurrence at men’s majors when there is an odd number of players after the 36-hole, Dunlap said no. (He did play with a marker when he shot 60 in the third round of The American Express.)

“The marker wouldn’t have been another professional, it would’ve been an amateur and hate to say it but a lot of people don’t understand how hard this place is,” said Dunlap. “I wouldn’t have had the time I had today.”

“It was a little weird,” he added. “It took me a second to get in a groove, but it allowed me to take as much time as I needed.”

He has got another round on Friday to enjoy the company of playing solo.

“I’ll just stay in my own little world,” he said.

Watch: Nick Dunlap makes ace on 7th hole during 2024 Cognizant Classic

What a shot.

Nick Dunlap has a flair for the dramatic.

Last year, he won the U.S. Amateur, becoming only the second golfer ever to win the U.S. Junior and Amateur, joining Tiger Woods. In January, he became the first amateur in 33 years to win on the PGA Tour, taking the American Express title.

On Friday, he added another bullet point to his resume: first ace as a PGA Tour member.

Dunlap has struggled since turning pro, but he seems to have found something this week during the 2024 Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches. On the par-3 seventh hole, Dunlap hit a cut to a front right hole location, and his ball took one bounce before rolling out and finding the bottom of the cup.

The shot moved him to 8 under for the tournament, one shot off leaders Kevin Yu and Victor Perez, who each played in the morning wave.

For Dunlap, the ace helped put him in position to make his first cut since turning professional.

He finished last at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, an event with no cut and only 80 players in the field. Then he missed the cut at the 70-man Genesis Invitational.

Now, he’s looking for his first win as a professional, and he has an ace in his pocket.

Roll Tide: Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa had a gift for PGA Tour rookie Nick Dunlap

“Better write ‘Roll Tide’ on there.”

What do Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and PGA Tour rookie Nick Dunlap have in common?

They were both so good at their respective sports that they were able to leave the University of Alabama early to turn professional.

Last month Dunlap became the first amateur to win on the PGA Tour in 33 years with his victory at the 2024 The American Express. The 20-year-old sophomore then turned professional a week later and is making his fourth start as a professional this week at the 2024 Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Before the event, the Alabama native and lifelong Crimson Tide fan shared a moment with Tagovailoa, who won a national title in 2017, and even got a little gift as well.

Dunlap shot a 4-under 67 in the opening round and sits just three shots off the early lead in the first event of the PGA Tour’s Florida Swing.

COGNIZANT CLASSIC: Friday tee times, TV info | Photos

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