Amateur Dunlap brings it home at The American Express to match ‘Lefty’

Nick Dunlap held on to win the $8.4 million The American Express and become the first amateur since Phil Mickelson 1991 to win a PGA Tour tournament with a battling 2 under par 70 to beat South Africa’s Christiaan Bezuidenhout by one at La Quinta, California, on Sunday.

Dunlap, reigning US Amateur champion who was competing on a sponsor’s exemption, produced a gutsy up-and-down par save on the last for an historic victory over a stellar field that included 21 players in the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking, including world number 1 Scottie Scheffler.

The Alabama native also became the youngest winner at the age of 20 years and 29 days since 1910 and the first reigning US Amateur champion to take a tour title since Tiger Woods in 1996 

“It's everything that I dreamed of and just to have a chance on the last hole to win a PGA Tour event is really special. I was so nervous (on the last hole). It's a really cool spot to be in as an amateur, and just to be here and be given the opportunity to play, and I don't ever want to forget today,” said Dunlap, who is in his sophomore year in University of Alabama.

With a two-year exemption on offer to all tour winners plus guaranteed starts in all the Signature events and the Players Championship, Dunlap will take his time to determine if he is to join the play-for-pay ranks soon.

“That's something it doesn't just affect me, it affects a lot of people, coach back there and my teammates, and it's a conversation I need to have with a lot of people before I make that decision,” he said. 

Further down the order, Chinese Taipei’s Kevin Yu flirted with a maiden victory, firing a scintillating final round of 9-under 63 before settling a career-equalling best finish of tied third on Sunday.The 25-year-old, a former world amateur no. 1, was near flawless at the PGA West Stadium Course with 10 birdies against a closing bogey which ultimately dashed his hopes of a career breakthrough.

Japanese rookie Ryo Hisatsune, who earned his playingrights through a DP World Tour top 10 placing last season, continued his strong start to 2024 by finishing T11 on 23-under, while the Korean trio Sungjae Im, K.H. Lee and 2021 American Express winner Si Woo Kim shared 25th place on 19-under.

After missing four months of action early last year with a knee surgery, the talented Yu displayed his immense potential once more by soaring into contention with an outward 30. He made four more birdies through 16 to jostle for the lead but a costly bogey on 18 after he found the fairway bunker eventually saw him finish two back.

“I was so glad to shoot a nine-under round, it was beyond my expectation,” said a delighted Yu, who shared third place with Xander Schauffele (65) and Justin Thomas (68). “I had great feelings with my swing and my putting worked really well. I hope I can keep the good momentum and become a winner soon.”

A majority of Yu’s 10 birdies, which is a career best haul during a round, were from inside of 10 feet and the longest putt came on the 14th hole when he rolled in a 19-footer to earn a share of the lead for the first time in the final round.

He was disappointed to drop his only bogey after finding the fairway trap on 18 with a three wood. “The club was a bit open, and it found the bunker on the right. That bunker was quite deep, so I could only hit it back out onto the fairway and I then misjudged the distance for my third due to the wind, so it came short and I made a bogey which was a pity,” said Yu, who also finished T3 at the 2022 Butterfield Bermuda Championship.

Dunlap (64-65-60-70) had to overcome a double bogey on hole but just held on to edge out the hard-charging Bezuidenhout (63-67-65-65) with birdie on 16 and a closing par after missing both the fairway and green. The result made him the only one to win the US Junior Amateur, the US Amateur and a PGA Tour title, and his Alabama coach Jay Seawell said later, “I knew he was good enough. I knew he could handle it.”

As an amateur winner, Dunlap does not earn prize money or FedExCup points, handingBezuidenhoutthe first-place prize money cheque.At 20 years, 29 days, he became the youngest amateur to win on the PGA Tour since Chick Evans at the 1910 Western Open (20 years, 1 month, 15 days) and second-youngest winner World Word II after Jordan Spieth, at the 2013 John Deere Classic.

He also joined a short list of amateur winners of a pro title that includes Phil Mickelson (1991 Northern Telecom Open), Scott Verplank (1985 BMW Championship), Doug Sanders, 1956 RBC Canadian Open, Gene Littler (1954 Farmers Insurance Open), Frank Stranahan (1948 Miami Open), Cary Middlecoff (1945 North & South Championship) and Fred Haas (1945 Memphis Invitational).

Interestingly, Dunlap missed the cut in his three previous tour starts – at the 2022 and 2023 US Opens, and the 2023 Butterfield Bermuda Championship.

Sunday’s outcome was Bezuidenhout’s  second career runner-up finish after the John Deere Classic last year. In all the South African now has four career top-10 finishes in 76 starts.