Less than 24 hours after stunning the world with his victory at the The American Express, young amateur Nick Dunlap needs to stop and take a breather.
This Monday, through the communication department of the PGA Tour, Dunlap has announced that he will not compete in this week’s Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego, despite already being on the tournament’s registered list as a guest before winning in La Quinta. Obviously, he didn’t even need the invitation after his triumph, but he has still decided not to play.
His week at the American Express was exhausting for a, let’s remember, second-year university student, 20 years old, who plays for the University of Alabama. The last round was very intense, achieving two crucial pars on the last two holes to win by one stroke, becoming the first amateur in 33 years to win on the PGA Tour and the youngest to do so after Jordan Spieth since World War II.
Dunlap not only won, but he did so in record form, with a total of 29 strokes under par, the lowest record since the tournament was reduced from 90 to 72 holes. Dunlap could not opt for the prize of 1.5 million dollars due to his amateur status, but golf fans will not forget this historic achievement.
At the same time, Justin Thomas has also announced at the last minute that he will not play the Farmers. Therefore, Harrison Endycott has entered the tournament, coming from the School, and Hayden Springer has received an invitation from the sponsor.
Beyond his decision not to play the Farmers, Dunlap is still considering whether to accept PGA Tour membership and turn professional already, or otherwise stay at the University and try to help Alabama win an NCAA title.
“I’ve always wanted to win the NCAA title with Alabama,” he said on Sunday. “As for turning professional, that’s something that doesn’t just affect me, it affects a lot of people, my teammates, my coach… They, obviously, never thought I would ever consider turning professional after this week.”
