Simply hours after Xander Schauffele lifted the claret jug at Royal Troon, Nick Dunlap was 4,867 yards away sharpening off a PGA Tour victory of his personal. Like Schauffele, Dunlap is now a two-time winner this season following Sunday night’s win on the Barracuda Championship in Truckee, California.
And the parallels don’t finish there: Dunlap, who captured the American Categorical in January as an novice, grew to become the primary participant since Schauffele in 2017 to win twice as a rookie.
Not even Schauffele, although, matched the excellence Dunlap simply cemented, as the one participant in Tour historical past to win as each an novice and a professional in a single season.
“I by no means thought that I might have my title subsequent to that, nevertheless it’s positively an honor,” Dunlap stated. “It’s been slightly robust after AmEx. You realize, you form of lose slightly little bit of confidence and surprise if you are able to do it once more. I really have the best workforce they usually assist me, they imagine in me, they push me, they usually’re the explanation that I’m right here.”
Dunlap fired a closing 9-under 62 at Tahoe Mountain Membership, which equated to a tournament-best 19 factors within the modified stableford format. Boosted by a 55-foot eagle make on the par-5 fifteenth and a trio of par-3 birdies, he rocketed 27 locations up the leaderboard to seize the clubhouse lead at 49 factors, after which headed to the vary to remain heat, simply in case of a playoff.
When Dunlap completed, the final group was on the fifteenth gap. Nobody caught him; Vince Whaley got here closest, at 47 factors, however needing to birdie every of his closing two holes to pressure extras, Whaley discovered a centerline bunker on the 366-yard, par-4 seventeenth and ended up making par. Whaley’s closing birdie did safe him a solo second, a degree away from Patrick Fishburn and three forward of 54-hole chief Mac Meissner, to bump himself from No. 167 within the FedExCup to No. 117.
Dunlap’s 300 winner’s factors will seemingly prolong his season.
The previous Alabama standout turned professional simply days after profitable in Palm Springs. His maiden victory didn’t simply earn him a two-year winner’s exemption, nevertheless it additionally assured Dunlap spots in all of the signature occasions. However Dunlap has struggled in these early months as a professional, ending final in two signature occasions, at Pebble Seashore and Harbour City, and lacking the minimize in all three of his main begins. He confirmed blips of breaking out in Houston (T-11) and on the Memorial (T-12), and after bolstering his quick recreation following a transfer a couple of months in the past to work with teacher Josh Gregory, he lastly notched his first top-10 as a professional a pair weeks in the past on the Rocket Mortgage Basic. Nonetheless, after taking final week off for a much-needed relaxation, he arrived in Lake Tahoe ranked No. 95 within the FedExCup.
Dunlap is now inside the highest 70, at No. 63, with two occasions remaining earlier than the playoffs begin.
And he’d quickly be on a flight to Minneapolis for subsequent week’s 3M Open, carrying not simply his fishing pole – he just lately began doing that to take his thoughts off golf after rounds – but in addition his latest trophy.
“By no means will get outdated, it actually doesn’t,” Dunlap stated. “I informed myself after AmEx I wished to benefit from the second slightly bit extra. I really feel like going by means of it, form of my thoughts was spinning, my world was spinning slightly bit, and all the pieces went extraordinarily fast. The one bitter factor about that is that profitable second goes shortly. It doesn’t keep so long as chances are you’ll suppose, simply because tomorrow I’m flying to Minnesota and attempting to repeat and do the very same factor.
“So, I promised myself if it did occur or when it occurred once more that I might attempt to take pleasure in it much more, so, yeah, I’m going to take a look at all of it night time.”
