BY AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
WASHINGTON (AFP) — Reigning US Amateur champion Nick Dunlap, the first amateur since 1991 to win a PGA Tour event, said on Thursday, Jan. 25, he will turn professional and accept PGA Tour membership through 2026.
Four days after capturing the PGA American Express title at La Quinta, California, the 20-year-old American sophomore on the University of Alabama golf team announced his decision at the school.
“It was the easiest, hardest decision that I’ve ever had to make,” Dunlap said.
“I was very fortunate that everyone had the same opinion about it and my teammates were awesome and very supportive. It goes back to the family that Alabama has. They were very supportive and wanted me to chase my dreams.”
Dunlap plans to make his pro debut at next week’s PGA event at Pebble Beach and plans to keep living in Alabama as he explores PGA Tour life.
“It’s pretty surreal,” Dunlap said. “But it’s also scary. There are a lot of changes.”
After going home empty-handed from the California desert instead of taking home the $1.5 million top prize because he played as an amateur, Dunlap will now collect paychecks from PGA events over at least three seasons.
That includes entries at this year’s Masters, PGA Championship and US Open.
“A golden ticket,” Dunlap called it.
Dunlap, who became World Amateur number one after his triumph, had qualified for this week’s PGA event at Torrey Pines with the victory but dropped out, saying he needed time to consider his options about turning pro or staying an amateur.
He made the decision on Tuesday and said he told his teammates first.
“I wanted to play pro golf and it was a golden opportunity to do that, with what the PGA Tour has provided,” a tearful Dunlap said.
“But telling them was the hardest thing, to tell them that I’m leaving mid-year and wasn’t going to get to play the rest of the season out with them. I didn’t plan on that. They didn’t plan on that.
“It’s just, unfortunately, that’s part of life. I was given a really cool opportunity, and I wanted to go try to chase that.”
Dunlap, now ranked 68th among the pros in the world golf rankings, is the second-youngest PGA Tour winner since World War II, behind only a 19-year-old Jordan Spieth.
He will qualify for seven remaining PGA Tour “signature” events this year and all full-field tournaments as well as the 2025 tournament of champions.
“The opportunity to pick and choose your schedule on the PGA Tour is unbelievable,” Dunlap said.
Dunlap did not collect points toward the season-ending FedEx Cup playoffs from his victory but will get them for his finishes moving forward.
