CALIFORNIA – Nick Dunlap tied the lowest round by an amateur in PGA Tour history on Jan 20, with his 12-under 60 giving him a three-shot lead going into the final round at The American Express in La Quinta, California.
The 20-year-old sophomore at the University of Alabama posted 10 birdies and an eagle at La Quinta Country Club to finish at 27-under 189 after 54 holes.
According to the PGA, four amateurs have won a tour event since 1940. The last one is six-time Major winner Phil Mickelson at the 1991 Northern Telecom Open in Tucson, Arizona.
“I made a lot of putts,” Dunlap said after the third round. “The putter felt really good. I don’t think I missed anything that I should have made... I don’t have any negatives after that round. I did everything pretty well.”
The 60 matches the amateur record set by Patrick Cantlay at the Travelers Championship in 2011. The 12-under score relative to par is a new amateur mark.
After his round, Dunlap admitted that shooting a 59 did cross his mind.
“On 17, I did (think about it),” he said. “I ran it by, I wasn’t leaving that one short. No – and (caddie) Hunter (Hamrick) mentioned it on 18. He’s like, ‘Let’s go ahead and make this’. So, no, I did.”
Sam Burns, the leader after two rounds, shot a seven-under 65 on the Stadium Course and sits in second and 24-under 192.
Justin Thomas nearly matched Dunlap’s mark with an 11-under 61 to be third at 23-under 193. The 30-year-old, who also played college golf at Alabama, equalled his career high with six straight birdies at one point.
Thomas and Dunlap will be in the final group on Jan 21 (Jan 22, Singapore time), something Thomas knows will draw extra eyes in Tuscaloosa.
“I haven’t played with Nick (on tour), no. We’ve just been in touch and we text from time to time.” Thomas said.
“But he’s in college, so we don’t run into each other too much. I know (Alabama golf coach Jay) Seawell will be a very, very happy man, and a very anxious man (on Jan 21), I’m sure.”
South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout shot a 65 – also on the Stadium Course – to finish the day in fourth, two strokes behind Thomas.
A quintet of players finished Jan 20 tied for fifth at 20-under 196: Eric Cole (shot 66 on the Nicklaus Tournament Course), South Korean Si Woo Kim (66, Stadium Course), Adam Hadwin of Canada (66, La Quinta Country Club), J.T. Poston (64, Nicklaus Tournament Course) and Xander Schauffele (63, Stadium Course).
Meanwhile, English duo Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton have committed to the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, despite interest from the lucrative Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit.
Both sit in the top 15 of the world rankings and helped Europe to Ryder Cup glory in 2023.
Reigning US Masters champion and world No. 3 Jon Rahm joined LIV in December in a deal reportedly worth hundreds of millions of dollars in a huge coup for the upstart tour.
The Spaniard’s move has sparked a frenzy over which other star names could turn their backs on golf’s traditional tours with LIV Golf chief executive Greg Norman promising “more apples falling from the tree.”
However, Fleetwood and Hatton, who were in action at the Dubai Desert Classic, said they are happy to remain where they are for now. REUTERS, AFP
