After missing out on $2.5 Million amateur golfer turns pro

Nick Dunlap, who recently became the first amateur in 33 years to win on the PGA Tour, announced today that he is turning professional and intends to accept PGA Tour membership.

The announcement came in a press conference on the University of Alabama campus in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

“It was the easiest, hardest decision that I’ve ever had to make,” Dunlap said on Thursday. “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, a sophomore at Alabama, won The American Express in La Quinta, California, earlier this week. Because he had amateur status at the time he was unable to accept the $US1.5 million ($NZ2.46m) first-place prize, which went goes to second placed Christiaan Bezuidenhout instead.

Dunlap is the first player to win the U.S. Junior Amateur, U.S. Amateur and a PGA Tour event while still an amateur and is the second-youngest TOUR winner since World War II (behind only Jordan Spieth).

Dunlap is exempt on the PGA Tour through the end of the 2026 season along with invites to the Masters and US Open, along with the remaining seven US$20 million signature events on tour.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission