LA QUINTA, Calif. — Nick Dunlap would not possess a false confidence, and he would not mission a supernatural calm. The College of Alabama sophomore absolutely understood simply how wild it was to be warding off a subject of pros Sunday whereas he tried to turn into the PGA Tour’s first beginner winner in 33 years.
“Most nervous I’ve ever been, by far,” Dunlap mentioned. “Simply tried to breathe, but additionally lookup and revel in it a bit bit.”
The 20-year-old merely performed by means of all of it — by means of his errors, the rising stress and the general improbability of his week at The American Categorical.
Dunlap got here out of it with a victory that might herald the arrival of a significant golf expertise — and one who won’t even want to complete the homework he introduced with him to the West Coast.
Dunlap swallowed his nerves one final time to make a 6-foot par putt on the ultimate gap, holding on for a 1-shot victory over Christiaan Bezuidenhout.
“Everyone’s bought doubts,” Dunlap mentioned. “I in all probability had a thousand completely different situations in my head of how at present was going to go, and it went nothing like I anticipated. I believe that was the cool half about it. That is golf.”
The reigning U.S. Beginner champion is the tour’s first beginner winner since Phil Mickelson on the Tucson Open in 1991. Enjoying in his fourth tour occasion, Dunlap grew to become the seventh beginner winner since 1945 — and the third since 1957.
Mickelson took to social media to commend Dunlap, one in all many posts throughout the golf world that hailed the feat — together with some from Dunlap’s personal Crimson Tide teammates.
“Such a powerful efficiency by Nick Dunlap,” Mickelson wrote. “Congratulations on an unbelievable win. That is only the start.”
Such a powerful efficiency by Nick Dunlap. Congratulations on an unbelievable win. That is only the start 👍👍
— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) January 22, 2024
What a tremendous accomplishment by @NickDunlap62 , stellar play and method to pull by means of underneath stress to hitch a really selective group of gamers to win PGA tour occasions as an beginner! Nice future forward of this nice expertise! Congratulations.
— Jon Rahm Rodriguez (@JonRahmOfficial) January 22, 2024
PANDEMONIUM!
@NickDunlap62‘s profitable second from contained in the @AlabamaMGolf group bus! pic.twitter.com/sCBXCobMnr— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 22, 2024
The one beginner within the 156-player subject within the match lengthy often known as the Bob Hope Desert Traditional, Dunlap surged right into a 3-shot lead with a scorching 12-under 60 within the third spherical. He misplaced that lead Sunday on the entrance 9 on the Stadium Course at PGA West, however he performed with the resilience of a seasoned veteran down the stretch, capped by his restoration from two errant photographs on the 18th for the profitable par.
“Nothing like I’ve ever felt,” Dunlap mentioned. “It was so cool to be out right here and expertise this as an beginner. Whether or not I had made that or missed that [last putt], in case you would have informed me [on] Wednesday evening I might have a putt to win this golf match, I would not consider you.”
After a day of back-and-forth competitors, Dunlap and Sam Burns have been tied for the lead when Burns put his tee shot within the water and double-bogeyed the seventeenth. Dunlap thought he had a 2-stroke lead when he stepped as much as the 18th, as a result of he and his caddie did not verify the leaderboard or see Bezuidenhout’s birdie moments earlier.
Dunlap’s tee shot then landed excessive within the tough, and his second shot might need hit a spectator earlier than it took a lucky roll from the tough right into a grassy drainage space off the inexperienced.
Dunlap bought inside 6 ft along with his third shot, and he celebrated the par putt for the title with hugs from his mother and father, his girlfriend and his faculty coach, Jay Seawell, who all flew cross-country over the weekend to observe in individual.
He ended up with a 70 — his worst spherical of the week by far — to complete at 29-under 259 and break the match scoring file as a 72-hole occasion. He is additionally the youngest winner within the occasion’s historical past, and he grew to become the youngest beginner to win on the tour since 1910.
Dunlap and Tiger Woods are the one gamers to win each the U.S. Beginner and the U.S. Junior Beginner. Whereas Dunlap bought the celebration Sunday for probably the most spectacular performances in current golf historical past, he would not get the $1.5 million first-place prize, which works to Bezuidenhout after the South African’s final-round 65.
Dunlap additionally would not get the five hundred FedEx Cup factors — however his rewards are nonetheless ample. If he stays at Alabama he will get within the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open because the U.S. Beginner champion. If he turns professional and joins the PGA Tour, he nonetheless will get within the Masters and U.S. Open, together with the remaining seven $20 million signature occasions on tour.
“It is superb,” Bezuidenhout mentioned about Dunlap’s achievement. “Truly, I heard his title final yr when he gained the U.S. Beginner. He is clearly a hell of a participant, and congrats to him. Hopefully, he may be out on the PGA Tour quickly, and all of us can get to play with him.”
Dunlap and his mother and father each mentioned they hadn’t instantly determined what he’ll do subsequent — however his meteoric profession hit one more top within the Coachella Valley.
“I do not know, I actually do not,” Dunlap mentioned about his future. “It is actually cool to have that chance within the first place. Beginning the week, in case you would have mentioned, ‘Hey, in 5 days you are going to have a PGA Tour card, or a chance for 2 years,’ I might have checked out you sideways. However that is one thing that it would not simply have an effect on me. It impacts lots of people — Coach again there, and my teammates — and it is a dialog I have to have with lots of people earlier than I make that call.”
Dunlap was already planning to play at Torrey Pines subsequent week on a sponsor exemption, however he acknowledged he additionally introduced homework to California.
“Most likely will not do it, although,” he mentioned with a smile.
Dunlap wanted toughness to beat his nerves in his last spherical. His 3-shot lead vanished on the seventh when he put his tee shot into the water and double-bogeyed whereas Burns birdied it.
Dunlap rapidly reclaimed the lead, misplaced it once more and battled Burns down the stretch, pulling even with a birdie on the sixteenth.
After which Burns was the one who flinched, utterly lacking the famed island inexperienced on the seventeenth and hitting the water.
“I did not need to win by him hitting within the water,” Dunlap mentioned. “I needed to win by making 4 birdies the final 4 holes. However sadly, that is golf. I’ve executed it quite a few occasions.”
Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele and Kevin Yu tied for third at 27 underneath. Burns led the occasion after two rounds with a career-low 61, and he was tied with two holes to play Sunday earlier than hitting into the water on every of his last two holes and carding back-to-back double bogeys, ending in a tie for sixth.
Data from The Related Press was used on this report.
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