Xander Schauffele’s British Open win at Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland gave the United States a clean sweep of golf’s majors for the first time since 1982, so perhaps what Nick Dunlap accomplished Sunday afternoon didn’t resonate the way it could have.
But the former Alabama golf star made his own bit of history over the weekend that reinforced it shouldn't be long before he’s contending in a major alongside the world’s best.
Dunlap won the Barracuda Championship in California to become the first golfer in PGA Tour history with wins as an amateur and a professional in the same season. And this time, he got to keep the check.
MORE: Promising rookie Nick Dunlap took the PGA Tour by storm. Now he's learning how to be a pro
Dunlap, 20, won the The American Express in January to become the first golfer since Phil Mickelson in 1991 to win a PGA Tour event as an amateur. He was the second-youngest winner on the PGA Tour since World War II, and only the third amateur since 1957 to win a PGA Tour event. He also won the U.S. Amateur Championship in August 2023 ahead of his sophomore year at Alabama.
Here's what to know of Dunlap's win at the Barracuda Championship:
Barracude Championship payout
Due to his amateur status at the time, Dunlap could not accept the $1.512 million due to the winner of The American Express. The next week, with a two-year PGA Tour exemption due to his win, Dunlap turned professional.
The Huntsville, Alabama, native earned $720,000 by virtue of winning the Barracuda Championship, one of the PGA Tour’s five opposite-field events and the only Tour event of the year that uses the Modified Stableford scoring system.
Nick Dunlap score at Barracuda Championship
Dunlap’s final round on Sunday featured seven birdies (worth two points) and one eagle (five points) and would have amounted to a 62 if the tournament were utilizing a traditional scoring format. Dunlap finished with 49 points overall for the event, two points ahead of second-place finisher Vince Whaley.
“I never thought that I would have my name next to that, but it’s definitely an honor,” Dunlap told reporters . “It’s been a little tough after AmEx. You know, you kind of lose a little bit of confidence and wonder if you can do it again. I truly have the greatest team and they support me, they believe in me, they push me, and they’re the reason that I’m here.”
The win also vaulted Dunlap into the top 70 of the FedEx Cup standings and puts him in good position to qualify for next month’s first FedEx Cup playoff event, the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis. Dunlap is now No. 63 in the FedEx Cup race, with the top 70 making it to the playoffs.
Dunlap, coincidentally, is the first PGA Tour rookie with two wins since Schauffele accomplished the feat in 2017.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama golf star Nick Dunlap made more PGA Tour history — and kept the check this time
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