Top amateur Nick Dunlap turns pro after historic PGA Tour victory

Nick Dunlap turned pro on Thursday, just days after his stunning win at American Express.

The PGA Tour is a talent that connects generations. Nick Dunlap, 20, a 20-year-old college student who made waves this weekend with his first PGA Tour amateur victory in 33 years, announced Thursday that he has turned pro. Dunlap plans to play professional golf on the PGA Tour and is exempt through 2026, and Sunday’s win earned him a spot in the limited-edition signature event for all of 2024. “I want to let you know that I am now a professional and that I have accepted membership on the PGA Tour,” Dunlap said during a news conference at the University of Alabama on Thursday morning. “Making my AT&T Pebble-Beach Pro-Am debut.”

After his amateur career, Dunlap joined the PGA Tour and set himself on a historic trajectory. He became the first player since Tiger Woods to win both the U.S. Junior and Amateur Championships and qualified for the 2023 U.S. Open in Columbus, where dozens of new pros play at the Memorial each year. Of course, those accolades pale in comparison to Dunlap’s performance on the Palm Springs course last Sunday, when he became the first PGA Tour winner by an amateur since Phil Mickelson won in Tucson in 1991. Professional golf has been on Dunlap’s radar in recent days, but the incredible benefits that come with a PGA Tour win were too tempting to pass up, he said. Dunlap’s amateur status meant he never received a $1.5 million winner’s check from American Express, but his regular membership to the tournament meant he could earn several times that amount during the season following. “I didn’t know [I would turn pro],” he said. “Today marks one week since the first round of American Express. If you had told me a week ago that I would be able to achieve my dream at 20, it would be so surreal and scary.”

After the win, he decided to forgo this week’s Farmers Insurance at Torrey Pines and return to Alabama (where he attends school) to discuss his future with his teammates and family. After a few days of conversation, Thursday came out with a clear idea. It’s about becoming a professional.

“It was the easiest and hardest decision I’ve ever made,” he said. “It was clear that I wanted to play professional golf and this was the perfect opportunity. “I was given a really big opportunity and I really wanted to try it.”

His decision to turn pro in January means sleeping in the crow’s nest at Augusta National during Masters week, one of golf’s great traditions. However, this will allow him to compete in each of the early season events, including the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship. Fortunately, turning pro won’t affect his eligibility for the majors. Winning at the American Express and US Amateurs guarantees him a chance to advance to each major throughout the year. The hardest part for Dunlap will be managing expectations after a remarkable amateur career that has placed him firmly in the realm of the greats like Woods and Mickelson. But it doesn’t seem like a big deal to Dunlap. “I grew up watching them,” he said. “If you grew up playing golf, you always wanted to be like a tiger or an elephant.” “Compared to them, I’m at that level and I trained and trained and did everything I could to be on that stage.”