Nick Dunlap was sensational last week at the American Express. The American amateur player won the tournament, however, he did not receive any prize money at La Quinta Country Club. The reason behind it was his amateur status. The $1,512,000 worth of the winner’s paycheck instead went to solo second-ranked Christiaan Bezuidenhout.
As per the rules, if any amateur golfer wins any PGA Tour event, he is not entitled to get his hands on the winner’s share of prize money. The prize money would be given to the solo second ranked player and his share of the money would be given to the solo third ranked player and so on. In case there is a tie in the second rank, the winner’s share will be combined with the tied number of ranks’ share and will be distributed evenly.
So, as per the rules, Nick Dunlap was not able to earn any money by winning The American Express 2024. Whatsoever the case be now, he has still become the first amateur since Phil Mickelson in 1991 to win any PGA Tour event. His name will surely be written in golden letters in the history of the game of golf.
Phil Mickelson Congratulates Nick Dunlap on Winning The American Express as Amateur
The last amateur player to win the PGA Tour title was Phil Mickelson. He won the Northern Telecom Open in 1991 after defeating Tom Purtzer and Bob Tway by one stroke. Now, after 33 years years, Nick Dunlap won The American Express by defeating Christiaan Bezuidenhout by one stroke.
Phil Mickelson took to his X (formerly Twitter) handle to congratulate the 20-year-old Amateur who won the recently concluded PGA Tour event.
Such an impressive performance by Nick Dunlap. Congratulations on an incredible win. This is just the beginning
— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) January 22, 2024
Nick Dunlap shot four rounds of 64-65-60-70 to get to an overall score of under par 29. His first PGA Tour victory came in his fifth start on the Northern American Golf Circuit. It will be interesting to see if Nick Dunlap decides to turn professional later in May 2024 and become eligible for the full PGA Tour season and earn a two-year exemption.
