Talking Golf with Alabama Crimson Tide Golf Star, Nick Dunlap; on turning pro, the transition, Jackson Koivun, Jack Nicklaus, beating OSU’s Neal Shipley and College Football

By Bert Leeson

Nick Dunlap (courtesy PGA Tour)

 

Nick Dunlap Alabama Crimson Tide golfer turned Pro Talking golf June 2024.mp3

Nick Dunlap hits out a bunker on 2nd hole at The Masters Tournament, 4 12 2024 (courtesy IMAGN, photo by Rob Schumacher, USA Today Sports)

ALABAMA BIO

  • Height:
    6-3
  • Class:
    Sophomore
  • Hometown:
    Huntsville, Ala.
  • High School:
    Home Schooled

Career Accolades

  • 2024 The American Express Champion (PGA TOUR)
  • 2023 U.S. Amateur Champion
  • 61st Northeast Amateur
  • 123rd North & South Amateur
  • 2023 Walker Cup Team
  • 2023 World Amateur Team
  • PING All-American Second Team (2023)
  • PING Southeast All-District (2023)
  • SEC Golfer of the Week (Sept. 27, 2023, Oct. 4, 2023)
  • All-SEC First Team (2023)
  • SEC All-Freshman (2023)
  • SEC Academic Honor Roll (2023)
  • SEC Freshman of the Week (Feb. 22, 2023, March 22, 2023)
  • Alabama Career Tournament Victories: 2

2023-24

  • Made the decision to forego remaining collegiate eligibility and accepted PGA TOUR membership on Jan. 25, 2024
  • First amateur since 1991 to win on the PGA TOUR, becoming the 2024 The American Express Champion with a 29-under par 259 (64-65-60-70)
  • With his win at The American Express, he became the first player to win the U.S. Junior Amateur, U.S. Amateur and a PGA TOUR event as an amateur
  • Left UA as the program’s all-time leader in career overall stroke average and average vs. par, averaging 69.76 strokes per round and -1.51 average vs. par across his 15 career tournaments played at UA (45 total rounds)
  • Concluded the fall 2023 season as the No. 1-ranked golfer in college golf and as the No. 1 amateur golfer in the world according to the Official World Amateur Golf Ranking
  • Competed in three of the four events in the Tide’s fall campaign, finishing among the top eight individuals in each tournament
  • Did not compete at the Steelwood Collegiate to rest after returning back to the United States from playing in multiple international events for Team USA
  • Finished runner up at the Hamptons Intercollegiate, where his second-round score of 60 marked the lowest round recorded by a UA golfer in program history
  • Won stroke play medalist honors at the SEC Match Play hosted by Jerry Pate to secure second career individual title with a 15-under par 198 (70-65-63) and tying for the second-lowest 54-hole total in program history
  • Finished the fall campaign as the Crimson Tide’s top golfer, averaging 67.00 strokes per round and a -4.13 average vs. par
  • All eight of his rounds played during the fall (across three tournaments) were par or lower with five rounds carded in the 60s and counted towards the team score
  • Earned back-to-back SEC Golfer of the Week honors (Sept. 27 and Oct. 4)

2023 Summer Highlights

  • Qualified for the 2023 U.S Open
  • Won the 61st Northeast Amateur title at the end of June
  • Claimed the 123rd North & South Amateur championship a week later

2022-23

  • SEC First Year Academic Honor Roll
  • Tabbed as a Third Team PING All-American and Southeast All-District following a stellar rookie campaign
  • Concluded his freshman season ranked as the No. 16 in the nation, according to Golfweek individual player rankings
  • Named a First Team All-SEC performer as well as an all-freshman team honoree
  • Led Alabama in average strokes per round at 70.35, which ranks as the second lowest per-round single-season average in program history
  • Additionally, his -0.95 average vs. par set a program record while his 17 rounds in the 60s also led the team
  • Finished the year placing top-20 in 10 of team’s 12 events, which included a team-leading four finishes inside the top-10
  • Of his 37 rounds on the year, 26 we par or better which tied for the second-most in a single season in school history
  • Collected top-20 finishes in each of his first four collegiate events, highlighted by a third-place result at the season-opening Rod Myers Invitational (212, -4) in his college debut
  • Finished tied for 11th overall at the 2023 NCAA Championships after carding a 72-hole total of 280 (74-68-66-72)
  • Earned first medalist honors of career at the Linger Longer Invitational with a 10-under 206 (70-66-70) and led Alabama to its second team title of the season
  • Named SEC Freshman of the Week twice this season (February 22, 2023 and March 22, 2023)
  • Had 10 top-20 finishes across 12 tournaments this year
  • One of three golfers to compete in the Tide’s lineup for every event of the year

Prep Highlights

  • Ranked as the No. 1 junior golfer in the class of 2022, according to Golfweek
  • Named the 2021 American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Boys Golfer of the Year
  • Alabama Golf Association 2022 First Team All-State performer
  • 2021 Alabama Boys State Junior Player of the Year
  • Earned the medalist honor at the 2021 U.S Junior Amateur Championship which was held in Pinehurst, N.C.
  • With that win, he became the first-ever Alabama native to win the historic event and by doing so he earned an Amateur exemption to compete in the 2022 U.S. Open
  • Won the 2022 U.S. Boys Junior Championship individual title
  • Also claimed the title at the AJGA Polo Golf Junior Classic in 2022
  • Out of his 11 events played in 2021, he tallied one victory, finished in the top on five occasions and recorded eight top-20 results
  • Winner of the 2021 Dustin Johnson World Junior Championship in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
  • Collected runner-up results in the 2021 Junior Players Championship and Boy’s Junior PGA Championship
  • Also had second-place finishes at the Wyndham Invitational presented by Truist, The Dye Junior Invitational and the 2020 Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championship
  • Winner of the 73rd Alabama Boys State Junior Championship of the Alabama Golf Association in July of 2018
  • Set the course record at Highland Golf Club in Birmingham in June of 2016, he shot a 59 (-11) as he was going into his seventh-grade year of middle school
Nick Dunlap driving ball (courtesy Alabama Athletics)

 

COURTESY PGA TOUR, MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT AND ALABAMA ATHLETICS