The 2023 Golfweek Award winner for Male Amateur of the Year goes to …
What a year it was for men’s amateur golfers.
Players dominated the college game and others took over the scene during the summer. An amateur legend further cemented his legacy while one of the up-and-comers continued to make a name for himself.
When it came to selecting Golfweek‘s Male Amateur of the Year, there were plenty of candidates to choose from, but one stood out among the rest. This player did something this summer that had only ever been done once by a guy named Tiger Woods. I wonder what he’s up to these days.
The 2023 Golfweek Award winner for Male Amateur of the Year goes to …
A busy fall has set the stage for an exciting spring in men’s college golf.
It seems as if national champions were crowned just yesterday, but instead we’re at the end of the fall college golf season in one of the craziest starts to the year in the sport’s history.
Sure, the top teams have claimed tournament titles and new stars have burst onto the scene, but that doesn’t mean the season has been short on drama and storylines and events that have altered the sport.
College golf is entering a quiet time until February, when it will quickly ramp back up as teams begin the pursuit to make it to Omni La Costa in Carlsbad, California, site of the 2024 NCAA Championships.
Here are some of the biggest stories from men’s college golf this fall.
The U.S. played its best round Saturday to clinch the championship.
No team at the Men’s World Amateur Team Championship had more depth than the United States. And that depth showed all week in Abu Dhabi.
The Americans ran away with the WATC title, shooting 36 under over four days of stroke play at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, beating Norway and Australia by 11 to win the Eisenhower Trophy. The U.S. played its best round Saturday to clinch the championship, going 12 under thanks to an impressive 8-under 64 from North Carolina junior David Ford and a 4-under 68 from Alabama sophomore and reigning U.S. Amateur champion Nick Dunlap.
In the individual competition, Dunlap finished solo second at 15-under 273, one stroke behind New Zealand’s Kazuma Kobori, who also won the Elite Amateur Series title this summer.
South African Christo Lamprecht, the senior at Georgia Tech who’s ranked No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, finished T-8 at 11 under.
France finished fourth in the team competition at 24 under while Italy and New Zealand tied for fifth at 23 under.
This is the 16th time the Americans have captured the trophy.
The WATC is a biennial competition comprised of two or three golfers from 36 countries playing four days of stroke play with the two lowest scores every day being counted.
Here’s everything you need to know about the 2023 Men’s World Amateur Team Championship.
It’s time for the 33rd Men’s World Amateur Team Championship.
The Emirates Golf Federation will host the 2023 World Amateur Team Championships. The men’s and women’s championships were originally set to be held in Dubai but moved to Abu Dhabi, where they’ll be contested at the National Course at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club.
In another recent change, the order of play for the men’s and women’s championships will be reversed to avoid a conflict in dates with other prestigious tournaments, meaning the men will play first while the women will battle it out next week.
This marks the first time the event, which dates to 1958, will be held in the Middle East. It also will be the first with a reduced scope of one golf course and 36 teams to lessen the cost and complexity of hosting the event, as approved at the IGF’s 2018 biennial meeting.
Here’s everything you need to know about the 2023 Men’s World Amateur Team Championship.
A sub-60 round has never happened in college golf.
A sub-60 round has never happened in college golf.
Nick Dunlap was a lip-out birdie putt from being the first.
Playing with his Alabama Crimson Tide teammates in the Hamptons Intercollegiate at Maidstone Golf Club in East Hampton, New York, Dunlap was on his 36th hole of the day.
He had already posted a 69 and he was 12 under through 17 on his second 18 when he faced a putt of about eight feet for a closing birdie. Had it dropped, he would’ve notched a 59 and become the first to reach that hallowed ground in the college game.
But – if we haven’t spoiled the video yet – it wasn’t meant to be.
Dunlap opened par-eagle-birdie to get things going and made the turn in 5-under 30. He then birdied the 10th, parred the 11th and then ripped off six straight birdies. He had 10 birdies in all but couldn’t quite get that last one to drop.
It’s going to be an exciting season in men’s college golf.
The summer has come and gone, which means the 2023-24 college golf season is here.
Last season, there was no shortage of excitement. Florida got hot at the end of the year, won the SEC Championship, then went on a run to capture the NCAA Championship for the fifth title in school history.
Now, there’s no shortage of storylines to follow as we head into the 2023-24 season, including the national championship moving to Omni La Costa in Carlsbad, California, next May. There’s also Florida reloading, the chasers and the early Player of the Year favorite looking to build off a big summer.
Here’s a look at some of the top storylines for the 2023-24 men’s college golf season.
Alabama Golfer Nick Dunlap joins Tiger Woods in elite feat
Alabama Golfer Nick Dunlap picked up a massive win this weekend at the US Amateur Championship at the Cherry Hills Country Club. Dunlap is only a sophomore with the Crimson Tide but has already done the unthinkable and is currently ranked as the No. 9 amateur in the World Rankings.
The way the tournament was set up it was one-on-one play rather than the traditional field style, and Dunlap never trailed over the final 18 holes in the championship round. Dunlap was sensational all weekend as he posted 11 birdies over the course of 33 holes.
Dunlap joins the greatest golfer of all time, Tiger Woods, in becoming only the second player to ever win the US Amateur Championship as well as the US Junior Am. Dunlap is a Huntsville native and is quickly putting himself on the map and showing that he can be a serious contender on the PGA Tour alongside other Alabama greats like Justin Thomas and Lee Hodges. With the victory, Dunlap has guaranteed himself a spot in the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open next year.
When you are receiving comparisons to Tiger Woods, it might be easy to let all the noise get to your head. However, Dunlap is a composed athlete and said this of the comparison,
“I think it’s only a third of what he’s done. Just to be in the same conversation with Tiger is a dream come true and something I’ve worked for my whole life.”
There is no question that Dunlap has certainly put himself on the fast track to be one of the greatest Crimson Tide golfers of all time.
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“I think it’s only a third of what he’s actually done,” Dunlap joked. “But just to be in the same conversation as Tiger is a dream come true and something that I’ve worked my entire life for.”
Woods won the U.S. Junior Am from 1991-93 and the U.S. Amateur from 1994-96.
“It’s the hours and hours that nobody sees to try to get to this point and even have a chance to win this trophy, it’s unbelievable,” Dunlap said. “Can’t put it into words.”
Here’s who will represent the United States at St. Andrews.
CHERRY HILLS VILLAGE, Colo. — The roster for the United States Walker Cup team is set.
Following the conclusion of the 123rd U.S. Amateur on Sunday, the United States Golf Association’s International Team Selection working group and coach Mike McCoy announced the final selections to represent the American team in the 49th Walker Cup at the Old Course at St. Andrews from Sept. 2-3.
The Walker Cup is a 10-man amateur team competition between the U.S. and Great Britain and Ireland. The Old Course has hosted eight previous Walker Cups, more than any other venue, most recently in 1975, when the USA defeated GB&I, 15½-8½.
Rising Stanford senior Michael Thorbjornsen, second in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, would’ve represented the United States but withdrew from the competition, as well as the U.S. Amateur, because of a back injury.
Meet the 10 members of the 2023 United States Walker Cup team.
CHERRY HILLS VILLAGE, Colo. — The date was June 10, 2014. Jeff Curl was on the range practicing at Greystone Golf and Country Club in Birmingham, Alabama, when some heavy rains blew through. Curl, then on the now-named Korn Ferry Tour, was hitting balls and getting practice in. Next to him was a 10-year-old Nick Dunlap.
It didn’t matter how heavy the rain was, Dunlap stuck next to Curl, mimicking the professional. Dunlap striped shots in the rain over and over again.
Curl stepped back, took a photo and posted it on social media. The caption said, “Practicing on this soggy day with future tour star Nick Dunlap. #KidIsLegit.”
Nearly a decade later, Curl’s prediction seems well on its way to being true.
Dunlap capped an incredible summer Sunday, winning the 2023 U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills Country Club. He defeated Neal Shipley, 4 and 3, in the 36-hole final. The duo was tied after the 18-hole mark, but Dunlap was relentless during the second 18 holes and lights out with his putter.
“I truly believe by the time he’s 25, he’ll be the No. 1 player in the world,” Curl said on the 15th green after Dunlap clinched his match. “He’s got it.”
@greystonegcc Practicing on this soggy day with future tour star Nick Dunlap. #KidIsLegit http://t.co/kDzKYAETvv
With the victory, Dunlap is the second male amateur to win the U.S. Junior, which he captured two years ago, and the U.S. Amateur. The other is Tiger Woods.
Coming into the week, the 19-year-old rising sophomore at Alabama was one of the favorites. He had been the best male amateur in golf this summer, with his counterpart Shipley being the second best. Dunlap had captured the Northeast Amateur and the North & South Amateur.
However, his U.S. Amateur campaign got off to a rough start. He was 5 over after seven holes at stroke-play co-host Colorado Golf Club in a stretch that included playing the wrong ball on the third hole and four putting on the fifth.
But Curl, who was on the bag for his U.S. Junior win, as well, wrote something down in his yardage book. “This can be an AMAZING story if you let go and LET IT HAPPEN!!!”
“I was honestly just trying to give myself a chance with nine holes to play to try to make the cut,” Dunlap said.
Dunlap, who was ninth in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, fought back and ended shooting up even-par the rest of the day. He finished T-38 after stroke play and got the 41st seed in match play.
His opening matchup? World No. 1 Gordon Sargent.
He dispatched his future Walker Cup teammate and then beat Denver native Connor Jones 4 and 2. He needed 19 holes in his quarterfinal to advance against incoming Auburn freshman Jackson Koivun, overcoming a cold putter. Then in the semifinals and championship match, that same putter took over.
“I’m stoked with how I played,” Dunlap said. “I executed exactly what I was trying to do.”
Nick Dunlap reacts to making his putt on hole 28 during the final match of the 2023 U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills C.C. in Cherry Hills Village, Colo. on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023. (Kathryn Riley/USGA)
Dunlap was 1 up thru 17 holes in the morning wave before Shipley hit one tight on the 18th and made birdie. Shipley, a 22-year-old graduate student from Ohio State, became a fan favorite during the weeks thanks to his long hair and interactions with the crowd.
Dunlap received cheers, but when Shipley did something well, the crowd of nearly 4,000 roared.
“I just never thought that would happen ever,” Shipley said. “This is going to be a special place because of that.”
Dunlap said the turning point came on the par-4 ninth, the 27th hole, when he made a long birdie putt when Shipley was in tight. He said that stopped Shipley trying to gain back momentum and kept him at arm’s length.
Even late in the round as Dunlap led 4-up with six to play, Shipley threw a shot to 5 feet on the par-4 13th, bringing the electric crowd to its feet with thunderous applause. Dunlap was long and in the rough and took two shots to get out, conceding the hole.
Both players found the fairway with their tee shots on the par-4 14th, but Shipley pulled his approach to a front left pin and was nearly in the water. With an open green, Dunlap’s approach also went left but not as far. Shipley had to hack at it ball, and it skirted across the green.
With a chance to close the door, Dunlap left his first chip short but then used a Texas wedge to get a conceded bogey. Shipley had a chance to match but missed a 4-footer, the victim of a cold putter during the afternoon round.
Nick Dunlap and his caddie Jeff Curl embrace after winning the 2023 U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills C.C. in Cherry Hills Village, Colo. on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023. (Kathryn Riley/USGA)
Then on 15, the closing par 3, Dunlap two putted for par and Shipley missed his birdie chance, ending the match.
“The nerves, I couldn’t feel my hands, I couldn’t feel my legs,” Dunlap said. “Couldn’t feel anything.”
Dunlap’s Alabama teammates flew in early Sunday morning and were there for a majority of the championship match. Coach Jay Seawell was there since Saturday and had a celebratory milkshake after the small ceremony on the 15th green.
“I’m just so proud of him,” said Seawell, who Saturday said Dunlap was as talented as any player he had coached. “All I told him was thank you, there’s a lot of people you’ve allowed to come alongside of you.”
Dunlap’s parents also arrived Saturday, so there were plenty of photos and hugs following his win.
Even with his poor start, Dunlap found a way to get into match play. Then he slowly and methodically took apart each opponent, creeping closer to the championship match.
After Sunday, Dunlap’s record in match play dating to July 2021 is 30-2. It was the first time in four appearances he made match play at the U.S. Amateur.
“I just learned that I could do it,” Dunlap said. “I always thought I could, but when you’re 5 over thru seven, your mind is spinning, you can’t see straight and all you see is red.
“I just learned that anything is possible as long as you put your mind to it.”
The best amateur in the world won the best amateur championship in the world. And he made history doing so.
The first name the champ looked for on the Havemeyer Trophy when he got it? Tiger Woods. A name Dunlap is paired with in the annals of the sport forever.
