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Debutant Nick Dunlap Wins the 2024 American Express: Breaks 33-Year-Old Curse to Join Phil Mickelson’s List

Published 01/21/2024, 7:13 PM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

The third event on the PGA Tour calendar showcased an exhilarating final day of golf! The 2024 American Express finally saw Nick Dunlap emerge as the champion after beating the likes of Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Xander Schauffele. Astonishingly, he did so by carding a final day’s score of 2 under 70, thereby beating the runner-up, Bezuidenhout, by 1 stroke. But there’s a catch. He’s not a professional on the circuit.

Anyhow, the golfer, over the four days of play, was able to register a score of 29 under 259 to clinch the trophy. Interestingly, this makes him the first amateur, following Phil Mickelson to rake in a win after 33 years on the men’s circuit. Moreover, his win comes as nothing shy of a historical moment, making him the second youngest amateur to win a PGA Tour event in 90 years.

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Back in 1991, Mickelson had won the Northern Telecom Open in Tucson, Arizona, as a 20-year-old amateur. Well, now the college sophomore has achieved a similar feat as the 53-year-old at La Quinta, albeit three decades later. But, despite all that, the question naturally arises: what would the American Express champ’s win provide him with?

Nick Dunlap clinches his first PGA Tour win

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Dunlap marked his name on the annals of history books by holing a total of four birdies in the final round, cementing his place at the top of the table. However, his victory does not provide him with any FedEx Cup points or any winner’s cut of the $8.4 million. The money would be carried over to Bezuidenhout, who takes the winner’s cut while being awarded 300 FedEx points. What about the victor’s 500 points? It would not be allocated to the rest of the field, unfortunately.

But that doesn’t mean the amateur is left without any benefits. The golfer would be eligible for membership in the men’s circuit at any point during the current season. What’s more, his membership would extend for two years, until 2026. In the case of exemptions, the 20-year-old would be guaranteed access to every signature event in 2024, under the condition that he turns professional before the same, along with the Masters and the PGA Championship.

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It truly was a close-knit final day of play that managed to satiate the hunger of many fans in the community. The thrilling finish by Dunlap was the cherry on top of the icing that made it all the more special!

Watch This Story | An Unbelievable Story of How Phil Mickelson Made $1m in Less Than 3 Hours

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Written by:

Allan Abe

1,130Articles

One take at a time

My search for happiness eventually led me, Allan Abe, to the hallways of ES after dabbling in different fields. Following my childhood passion for the sport and coupling it with my passion for writing, the role of a golf writer was the perfect career path and has been more than a fruitful one. Through the live coverage and in-depth analysis of the lives of big stars like Tiger Woods and Jon Rahm, I have put to use all my journalistic-accolade-winning experience, from state-wide events to college competitions, to give the reader a great story with every piece.
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Edited by:

Tushhita.barua

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