Amateur Nick Dunlap makes history by winning American Express

CALIFORNIA – Twenty-year-old Nick Dunlap became the first amateur to win a PGA Tour event since Phil Mickelson in 1991 by capturing The American Express title on Jan 21 in La Quinta, California.

Dunlap got up and down for par at the final hole of the Pete Dye Stadium Course to shoot two-under 70 for the round and 29-under 259 for the week, one ahead of South Africa’s Christiaan Bezuidenhout.

The reigning US Amateur champion and sophomore at the University of Alabama is just the third amateur to win on tour since 1957, joining Mickelson (1991 Northern Telecom Open) and Scott Verplank (1985 Western Open).

Dunlap is also the second-youngest tour winner in 90 years, behind Jordan Spieth’s win at the 2013 John Deere Classic as a 19-year-old.

“Honestly, I felt the script today was already written. I was going to go give it everything I had. Whether that’s I shoot 75 or 65 or 70, I just was going to give it everything I had,” Dunlap said.

He called the emotions he experienced down the stretch “nothing like I had ever felt”.

The win gives Dunlap a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour and qualifies him for The Players Championship, the Masters and the PGA Championship. He does not take home any winnings, but he has a suddenly difficult decision about whether to leave Alabama early and turn pro.

“I don’t know. I have to take a second to let what just happened sink in a little bit. That’s a decision that’s not just about me. It affects a lot of people and, obviously, I’m going to try to enjoy this,” Dunlap told PGA Tour Radio.

Dunlap opened the tournament 64-65-60, having racked up 10 birdies and an eagle to shoot 12 under at La Quinta Country Club in the third round.

He began the final round with a three-shot lead over Sam Burns but found the water on the par-four seventh hole and made a double bogey.

Dunlap responded with birdies at the 8th and 14th holes, and after chipping to 10½ feet at the par-five 16th, he sank the birdie putt to tie Burns at 29 under.

“I told (caddie Hunter Hamrick) that we hadn’t faced much adversity yet, and hitting my ball in the water on 7, it tested everything I had,” Dunlap said.

“I missed a couple of putts that I thought I was going to make... I went over a scenario for today probably a million times and it’s never going to go how you plan, and it didn’t. I’m so happy to be standing here.”

Dunlap then landed his tee shot at the par-three 17th on the island green and Burns proceeded to find the water.

Dunlap made par but his tee shot at No. 18 landed on a mound far right of the fairway. After Burns found the water for the second straight hole, Dunlap’s second shot travelled 194 yards and rolled down a different mound into a far corner of the fairway, setting up another remarkable chip to six feet.

Bezuidenhout, meanwhile, eagled the par-four 15th and birdied the 18th to polish off a bogey-free 65 and make Dunlap’s final par putt necessary to avoid a play-off.

“(Hamrick) was so calm all day, his attitude never changed. Just kind of, his last thing is, like, ‘Man, this is inside left, you made a million of these putts before, it’s just another one’,” Dunlap said.

Burns’ double bogeys at the final two holes gave him a 71 and a share of sixth place with Michael Kim (65) and Adam Hadwin (67), four shots off the pace.

Bezuidenhout, who received the winner’s cheque of US$1.5 million (S$2 million), lauded the amateur’s accomplishment.

“It’s amazing. Actually, I heard his name last year when he won the US Amateur,” said the 29-year-old South African.

“Yeah, he’s obviously a hell of a player and congrats to him and hopefully he can be out on the PGA Tour soon, and we all can get to play with him.”

Justin Thomas shot a 68 to tie for third at 27 under with Kevin Yu of Taiwan (63) and Xander Schauffele (65). REUTERS