Alabama Golfer Nick Dunlap Faces PGA Tour Decision After Historic Win
On Sunday, Alabama golfer Nick Dunlap became the first amateur in 33 years to win on the PGA Tour, holding on for a one-shot victory over Christiaan Bezuidenhout at The American Express.
Dunlap, a 20-year-old sophomore, posted a flawless back nine en route to a 2-under 70, finishing at 29 under par for the tournament, — becoming just the fifth amateur to win on the PGA Tour since 1940.
With the victory, Dunlap now has a difficult decision to make: Turning pro, or keeping his amateur status.
After the round, Dunlap mentioned that he won't hastily make a decision, considering the impact it will have on various individuals, including himself, his family, and fellow teammates at Alabama under Jay Seawell.
"Oh, boy," Dunlap said. "I have no idea. I really don't. It's really cool to have that opportunity in the first place, and starting the week, if you would have said, hey, in five days you're going to have a PGA Tour card or an opportunity for two years, I would have looked at you sideways. But, no, 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."
With the victory, Dunlap can accept PGA Tour membership at any time during the season and will receive regular PGA Tour winner status. If he accepts membership, he will be one through the 2026 season. The win also secures his place into the rest of 2024’s Signature events and the Players Championship.
When asked if Dunlap had a plan in mind for turning pro, he was quick to defer and bolstered his previous answer while potentially hinting at some unfinished business in Tuscaloosa.
"I've had goals outside of that for a little while," Dunlap said. "One of them being No. 1 player in the world as an amateur, and I've always wanted to win a ring with Alabama. But no, everything kind of moving forward, and as far as me turning professional, that's something that it doesn't just affect me, it affects a lot of people, and that being my teammates and my coach, you know, they, obviously, probably didn't think that I would ever consider turning pro after this week. But, like I said, I need to, obviously, talk to them and a lot of other people before I make any kind of decision like that."
Dunlap can refute his membership for 2025 up until 30 days after the conclusion of this season. However, if Dunlap wants to pick up membership for 2026, he can only do so after the 2025 season.
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