It was a logical question at the time, one that a lot of people were asking.
Should Nick Dunlap, fresh off of winning The American Express tournament last January to become the first amateur in 33 years to win a PGA Tour event, remain an amateur?
It was too late to take the money for The American Express, so maybe Dunlap should return to the University of Alabama for more seasoning as a top college golfer. Maybe he should try to defend his U.S. Amateur title, too.
Dunlap and his team decided that it was best to turn pro, take advantage of the playing opportunities in majors and PGA Tour signature events and get his seasoning under fire. The results were not overwhelming at first, so the question was asked again and again. Should Nick Dunlap have stayed an amateur?
Sunday at the Barracuda Championship in Truckee, Dunlap had the final say in the debate. A huge Sunday under the modified Stableford scoring format pushed Dunlap to his second PGA Tour victory. He is now the first player in PGA Tour history to win in the same calendar year as an amateur and as a professional.
It is an astounding feat for Dunlap, still just 20, to have two PGA Tour victories so young. And it is a major boost for The American Express, who can now market their defending champion as more than just a one-hit wonder.
Sure, the critics might howl that the Barracuda Championship is an alternate event from the British Open, and that the best players in the world weren’t in Truckee to face Dunlap. But PGA Tour names such as Charley Hoffman, Patrick Rodgers and Taylor Pendrith were all in the top 10 of the Barracuda, and names such as Martin Laird, Michael Kim and J.J. Spaun were further down the leaderboard. Names like Brandt Snedeker, Bill Haas and Aaron Baddeley missed the cut.
Nick Dunlap reacts after making an eagle on the 15th hole during the final round of the 2024 Barracuda Championship at the Old Greenwood course at Tahoe Mountain Club. (Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
Winning the money
The victory also comes with less prize money than many PGA Tour events, but remember, Dunlap won no money at The American Express. The $720,000 first-place check at the Barracuda thus becomes the largest check of his career, putting him at $2 million for the year. And because the Barracuda is a dual-sanctioned event with the DP World Tour, Dunlap is now exempt on that tour through 2026, just as he is on the PGA Tour.
Beyond all of that, imagine the golfers who would jump off a building to…
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