The Amateur’s Hour

Regardless of what happens throughout the remainder of Nick Dunlap’s career, his performance yesterday is going to stick with me for a long time. When a player doesn’t belong in the final group of a golf tournament, they tend to unravel. Once the unraveling begins, the wheels seldomly get back on the track. That’s what happens when a player doesn’t have the game to withstand the pressure of a final group on the precipice of a life-changing accomplishment. But that’s not what happened with the 20-year-old amateur on Sunday at The American Express.

Dunlap, a University of Alabama sophomore and the only player not named Tiger Woods to win both the U.S. Amateur and the U.S. Junior Amateur, entered the final round of The American Express with a three-shot lead. Paired with Justin Thomas and Sam Burns, Dunlap proved that he was prepared for the occasion. He played a decent first six holes before flaring a tee shot into the water on the short par-4 seventh. Walking to the eighth tee, Dunlap’s solo lead was gone. It was a moment in which it would’ve been easy for him to fold. Instead, he steadied the ship over the next nine holes, birdieing the par-5 16th to tie Sam Burns for the lead. Following a costly Burns mistake on No. 18, Dunlap saved a nervy par on the 72nd hole to become the first amateur to win on the PGA Tour since Phil Mickelson in 1991.

It was an incredible, historic performance from Dunlap, who proved he has the game to battle some of the best golfers in the world and emerge with a trophy. He is, undoubtedly, one of the most exciting prospects in men’s professional golf.

This piece originally appeared in the Fried Egg Golf newsletter. Subscribe for free and receive golf news and insight every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.