Nick Dunlap Wins PGA Tour Event, 1st Amateur To Win Since 1991

LA QUINTA, CA — Nick Dunlap became the first amateur to win a PGA Tour event since 1991, earning the 20-year-old sophomore status at the University of Alabama but not the prize.

As an amateur, Dunlap was unable to receive the $1.512 million awarded the winner, but a victory would give him a PGA Tour card and playing privileges for two years. The winner's share went to the second-place finisher.

"I've learned so much today, and I'm so grateful to be here," Dunlap told the PGA over X, formerly Twitter. "To see some of the people rooting for me was really special."

He held a three-stroke lead going into Sunday for the $8.4 million American Express after shooting a 12-under 60 at La Quinta Country Club on Saturday, tying the PGA Tour record for the lowest round by an amateur.

When asked after the round, "Do you think it's easier knowing that you have to go low tomorrow to sort of stay in touch or others are going to have to go lower to catch you?" Dunlap responded, "I think it's going to be hard either way."

"At least, looking at this place, it's supposed to be easy, and guys are shooting low numbers, but you still have to go do it," Dunlap said. "It's still a golf course, and you still have to hit good shots. There's out of bounds everywhere. For tomorrow, there's a lot of water out there, and just kind of hit one good shot at a time and try to stack 'em and give myself a lot of good looks."

Phil Mickelson is the most recent amateur to win a PGA Tour event. He won the Northern Telecom Open in Tucson, Arizona in 1991.

Dunlap played Sunday's final group with Burns and Justin Thomas at the PGA West Stadium Course Saturday and teed off at 11:02 a.m. at the PGA West Stadium Course.

All three golfers in the final group played at Southeastern Conference schools. Thomas played at Alabama in 2012 and 2013, while Burns played at LSU in 2016 and 2017.

Burns has "RTR" -- the acronym for "Roll Tide Roll" -- shaved into his head after losing a football bet with Thomas.

Dunlap is making his fourth start on the PGA Tour. He missed the cuts in the 2022 and 2023 U.S. Opens and 2023 Butterfield Bermuda Championship.

Dunlap's round Saturday made him the 7-5 favorite, according to BetMGM, an official betting operator of the PGA Tour. Burns is the second choice at 9-4 after being the 15-4 favorite entering Saturday's play. Thomas is the third choice at 15-4.

Dunlap began Saturday's play tied for third at 15-under 129, two strokes behind Burns. He started his round with a par on the 10th hole, then birdied the 11th through 14th holes and 16th and 17th. After completing his first nine holes at 3-under 30, Dunlap began the front nine with a birdie on the first hole, back-to-back birdies on the fourth and fifth holes, and an eagle on the par-5 sixth hole.

Dunlap completed his bogey-free round with a birdie on the par-4 ninth hole to drop to 27-under 189 for the tournament.

"I made a lot of putts," the 2023 U.S. Amateur champion said. "The putter felt really good. I don't think I missed anything that I should have made. Drove it well. Hit the irons really good. I don't have any negatives after that round. I did everything pretty well."

As he did after shooting a bogey-free 7-under 65 on the Pete Dye Stadium Course on Friday, Dunlap praised Hunter Hamrick, the Crimson Tide's assistant men's golf coach in 2022 and 2023, who is his caddy for the tournament.

"He did a really good job of keeping me settled and keeping me where I was," Dunlap said.

The 60 tied the lowest round by an amateur in PGA Tour history, accomplished by Patrick Cantlay at the 2011 Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut, between his first- and second-year student seasons at UCLA.

"I'm still trying to figure out this whole two weeks on the road laundry thing with the tour," said Dunlap, who entered in the Farmers Insurance Open, scheduled to begin Wednesday at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego.

Burns shot a 7-under 65 on the PGA West Stadium Course Saturday. He began his round with a birdie on the 10th hole and birdied the 11th through 13th holes and 16th. After finishing the back nine at 4-under 32, he bogeyed the par- 4 first hole and birdied the third, fifth, seventh, and eighth holes.

"I think yesterday I drove it a little bit better," Burns said of Friday's 11-under 61 at the Nicklaus Tournament Course, his lowest 18-hole score in his 138 PGA Tour starts. "Was able to give myself a few more scoring clubs in my hand.

"I would say today was a really solid round on the more challenging golf course of the three."

The field was reduced to 68 players -- the low 65 and ties -- following the conclusion of Saturday's third round. The 54-hole cut of 13-under 209 was the lowest since the tournament was reduced to 72 holes in 2012. The previous low was 10-under in 2013.

Among those missing the cut was Rico Hoey, who shot an opening round 9- under 63 at the Nicklaus Tournament Course on Thursday, to tie for third, one stroke off the lead. The former Rancho Cucamonga High School and USC standout then shot a 2-under 70 at PGA West Stadium Course Friday and a par 72 Saturday at La Quinta Country Club for a three-round total of 11-under 205.

Other players missing the cut included Rickie Fowler, a six-time winner on the PGA Tour who was born and raised in Murrieta, Jhonattan Vegas, the tournament's 2011 champion, and Tom Whitney, a graduate of La Quinta High School and the Air Force Academy, who served four years in the Air Force as a nuclear missile operator, completing his active duty service in 2014.