Shock amateur winner of the American Express, Nick Dunlap, has announced he is turning professional and joining the PGA Tour in an emotional press conference.
The 20-year-old shot a tournament record total of 29-under to become the first amateur winner on the PGA Tour for 33 years.
The University of Alabama sophomore was expected to make his next appearance on the circuit at this week’s Farmers Insurance Open.
However, following his stunning win at La Quinta, he announced his withdrawal from the event at Torrey Pines before now confirming he is joining the paid ranks.
“First of all, I want to say that choosing the University of Alabama is the greatest decision I’ve ever made,” Dunlap said in his press conference. “I’ve grown as a person, as a player since Coach Seawell first recruited me. I was a little s***, I’m not going to lie, but I’ve learned a lot and I’m very grateful for my team here. I couldn’t be happier with where I decided to come.
“My parents, through all the ups and downs have always been there, whether that’s driving through the night to see me play golf or getting up early. I’m kind of first starting to understand how expensive golf is, so thank you.
“Coach Seawell, we’ve been through a lot. I didn’t want to play for anyone else. Hopefully, I’ve represented Alabama golf well. To my teammates, being your teammate has been a blast for me.
“At this time, I do want to announce that I am turning professional. I’m accepting my membership and I’m going to debut at the Pebble Beach AT&T Pro-Am. It’s an incredible opportunity and I’m very grateful for it.”
Alabama Men’s Golfer Nick Dunlap Holds Press Conference #RollTide | @AlabamaMGolf https://t.co/6OYrG506XkJanuary 25, 2024
Dunlap will be joining as the youngest member of the PGA Tour, where he will take up his two-year exemption he earned for his stunning tournament victory - starting at the iconic Pebble Beach next week.
Dunlap has a wealth of rewards to come his way for winning - even though he was unable to collect his $1.5million first prize due to his amateur status, with Christiaan Bezuidenhout pocketing the cash.
As well as being exempt for all full-field events on the PGA Tour and the seven remaining Signature Events, Dunlap gets an entry into The Players Championship, The Masters, US Open and PGA Championship.
The reigning US Amateur champion usually gets into The Open but only if they remain as an amateur, so it remains to be seen if the R&A will allow Dunlap to go straight into the field for Royal Troon in July.
Not just the win, but the manner of the victory drew huge praise from PGA Tour pros for Dunlap, who will now be competing against them on a regular basis.
"I was in complete awe of that," said Keegan Bradley. "I didn't think we would ever see an amateur win a PGA Tour event.
"To me, that was one of the most incredible things I've seen in golf that I've watched. To see a college kid that's an amateur win a PGA Tour event, it's pretty spectacular."
Xander Schauffele added: "Yeah, it’s incredible. He just turned 20 years old, he’s a sophomore in college. He had that lead and he protected it. I think big hats off to Nick and what an accomplishment that is to make history."
