Amateur Dunlap Dominates PGA Tour... 'Who Is This Guy?'

12-Year-Old Prodigy with 59 Strokes, Beating Professional Players' Money
Like Woods, Sweeps US Junior and US Amateur Championships
Historic Victory 33 Years After Mickelson

20-year-old amateur golfer Nick Dunlap (USA) is making headlines.

The sophomore at the University of Alabama clinched the title on the 21st (local time) at the Pete Dye Stadium Course (par 72) in La Quinta, California, USA, at the PGA Tour's American Express (total prize money $8.4 million). It was the first amateur victory in 33 years since Phil Mickelson (USA) won the Northern Telecom Open in 1991. The winner's prize money was $1,512,000 (about 2 billion KRW), which was regrettable as he could not receive it due to his amateur status.

Amateur Nick Dunlap is smiling brightly while holding the trophy immediately after winning the American Express.
[La Quinta, USA=AFP·Yonhap News]

Winning as an amateur player on the PGA Tour, which is filled with top-ranked players worldwide, is by no means easy. Since 1950, only four amateur players have won professional tournaments. Dunlap swept the 2021 US Junior Amateur Championship and the 2023 US Amateur Championship. This record was previously held only by the 'Golf Emperor' Tiger Woods (USA).

The PGA Tour shared stories on its website from the head pro and members of the golf club Dunlap attended, highlighting his extraordinary childhood. John Givens, head pro at Greystone Golf Club, recalled, "When Dunlap was a young boy, he defeated all the club members in matches, leading to complaints asking that he be barred from entering tournaments."

At age 12, Dunlap won a local tournament with a score of 59, winning by 13 strokes, and even earned money competing against PGA Tour professionals. On days when the temperature exceeded 37 degrees Celsius, he worked as a caddie on the Korn Ferry (second-tier) Tour, walking 14 km and then running a long distance to work out at the gym.

Brett McCaive, a sports psychologist and member of Greystone Golf Club, recalled, "When Dunlap was about ten years old, he would ride his bike every day and never thought about leaving before the golf course closed." Jay Sewell, a coach at the University of Alabama, evaluated Dunlap as a student with diverse talents in sports such as baseball and American football. Sewell said, "If Dunlap's family had been in Minnesota, he would have practiced every day on frozen ponds and become an ice hockey player."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.