A 20-year-old US university student has become the first amateur to win a PGA Tour event in 33 years – but the golfer won’t pocket a penny of his seven-figure prize money.
Nick Dunlap claimed The American Express title in La Quinta, California, where he’d brought his homework to complete between rounds.
He is the youngest amateur winner on the PGA Tour since 1910 and the first since three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson in 1991.
Dunlap made a 6ft par putt on the final hole on Sunday, holding on for a one-shot victory over South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout.
Dunlap celebrates with his parents, Charlene and Jim Dunlap. Pic: Ray Acevedo/USA TODAY Sports via Reuters
The American finished 29-under 259 and broke the tournament scoring record as a 72-hole event.
Dunlap celebrated his triumph with his family, but he isn’t eligible for the winner’s prize of $1.5m (£1.2m) because of his amateur status.
He could turn professional today, but he doesn’t yet know his next step.
“I have no idea, I really don’t,” the second-year University of Alabama student said about his future. “It’s really cool to have that opportunity in the first place.
“Starting the week, if you would have said, ‘hey, in five days you’re going to have a PGA Tour card…’ I would have looked at you sideways.
“But that’s something that it doesn’t just affect me. It affects a lot of people – coach back there, and my teammates – and it’s a conversation I need to have with a lot of people before I make that decision.”
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The first-place prize money went to runner-up Bezuidenhout, who praised Dunlap as a “hell of a player”.
Dunlap also became only the second golfer ever to win both the US Amateur and US Junior Amateur championships with his win in the former last year.
He was the only amateur out of 156 players at last week’s tournament and he admitted it was the “most nervous” he’s ever been “by far”.
“Just tried to breathe, but also look up and enjoy it a little bit,” he added.
“I probably had a thousand different scenarios in my head of how today was going to go, and it went nothing like I expected. I think that was the cool part about it. That’s golf.”
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He was already planning on playing at Torrey Pines golf course over the next week on a sponsor exemption, but he admitted he may have to sacrifice his homework in the process.
“Probably won’t do it, though,” he said with a grin.
