Nick Dunlap, a 20-year-old sophomore at the University of Alabama, has made history at The American Express. Dunlap became the first amateur to win on the PGA Tour since Phil Mickelson, 33 years ago. With a final-round 70 and a final score of -29, Dunlap managed to both hold a lead and come from behind on Sunday to claim victory.
Dunlap entered the day three strokes ahead of the field on the back of a third-round 60, the lowest score by an amateur in a PGA Tour event since Patrick Cantlay managed the same score in 2001. But Dunlap surrendered all of his lead after a disastrous double-bogey on the seventh. He switched mindsets and remained steady throughout the rest of the round, and when leader Sam Burns put his tee shot into the water at the 17th, Dunlap pounced to claim a two-shot lead heading to the 18th.
On the 18th, Dunlap's tee shot drifted right and into the gallery. Burns dunked his second straight tee shot to take himself out of a tournament he'd led after 70 holes. Ahead of them, Christiaan Bezuidenhout holed a long birdie to put himself at -28, opening the door to a playoff if Dunlap couldn't convert the par.
From an uphill lie out of the rough, Dunlap's approach again drifted right, but managed to roll down onto the fringe of the green. That left him with an up-and-down opportunity to win outright and avoid the playoff. His graceful approach onto the green left him a terrifying five-foot, nine-inch putt for the win. He drained it with authority, screaming in exultation before the putt even dropped. Dunlap walked off the green to embrace his family and his college coach, tears in his eyes.
Dunlap's victory is a bit of much-needed good news for Alabama athletics these days. Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban called into the Golf Channel broadcast during Dunlap's round, praising the sophomore's steadiness and putting touch.
As an amateur, Dunlap can't collect the $1.5 million in prize money. But the victory entitles Dunlap, if he chooses to turn pro, to entries in the Masters, the PGA Championship, the Players Championship and — most notably — a two-year exemption onto the PGA Tour. So Alabama could very well lose another talented player after all.
This story is developing and will be updated.