Nick Dunlap of the United States reacts after winning the The American Express at Pete Dye Stadium Course. Photo: Sean M. Haffey
Analysis - Golf history was rewritten in California over the weekend, when American Nick Dunlap outlasted Christiaan Bezuidenhout by a single stroke at The American Express Open. Yes, Dunlap is only 20 years old but the real eyebrow raising part is that he's an amateur - the first one to claim a PGA tour title in 33 years.
Dunlap followed in the footsteps of the legendary Phil Mickelson in 1991, but the win wasn't completely out of the blue. Having missed the cut in his previous three PGA Tour events, it was his only his fourth tournament overall, but Dunlap showed an amalgamation of shot-making prowess alongside supreme putting ability throughout the weekend - the sort that's swiftly catapulted amateur players to the status of legends. Throwing his name in there with players such as Tiger Woods and Mickelson, it's plausible to speculate that Dunlap may become the next prominent golfer for some time to come.
He's only the seventh amateur to win a PGA Tour event, but his reputation is already strong, considering he was only the second player to win both the US Amateur and US Junior Amateur championships last year - a feat in the past only achieved by Woods himself.
Dunlap finished with 70 on Sunday at 2 under par following shooting an incredible -12 under 60 round on Saturday, which matched the lowest-ever amateur score in PGA Tour records. He saw his three-shot lead vanish from Saturday at the Pete Dye Stadium Course in La Quinta, where he finished with a double-bogey six on the seventh hole after finding a lake with his driver off the tee.
But when Sam Burns made a painful double bogey on the Par 3 17th hole after landing one in the drink with his first shot, Dunlap's pathway to triumph was opened. Pressure got to Burns as he dropped two more strokes and was eliminated from contention after a similar incident at the 18th hole.
That left Dunlap up against a surging Bezuidenhout, who was on fire. The South African birdied the final hole in a seven-under 65, before that he'd just absolutely nailed a 138-yard wedge shot for an eagle two on the par-four 15th. The University of Alabama student Dunlap answered beautifully, making three birdies in his following nine holes and closing with a two-under 70. On the final hole, his approach swerved to the right, striking a spectator and miraculously came to rest a few yards shy of the green's edge. Then, to seal the deal, he chipped up to six feet and calmly sank the putt to claim a one stroke victory.
However, it's likely Bezuidenhout would have been the one picking up the tab during the celebrations. Dunlap's amateur status means he does not get any prize money, so Bezuidenhout gets the US$1.5 million prize money.
Dunlap responded, "I don't know," to the question of whether going professional was the next logical step in his career. "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."