Gold amateur Nick Dunlap is not allowed to keep prize money

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Published23. January 2024, 04:47

Sensational victory: Golf amateur wins 1.3 million and is not allowed to keep it

Nick Dunlap, an amateur golfer, wins a tournament on the PGA Tour. He is happy about the victory. However, there is a problem with the prize money.

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Nick Dunlap was extremely happy.

Getty Images via AFP

The 20-year-old University of Alabama student won on Sunday by one stroke over Christiaan Bezuidenhout in La Quinta, California.

Getty Images via AFP

Bitter, however: He is not allowed to keep the prize money of over 1.3 million francs.

Getty Images

• Nick Dunlap makes history.

• As an amateur, he won a tournament on the PGA Tour.

• However, he is not allowed to collect the prize money.

What a sensation: American Nick Dunlap became the first amateur golfer since Phil Mickelson 33 years ago to win a tournament on the PGA Tour. The 20-year-old University of Alabama student won on Sunday by one stroke over Christiaan Bezuidenhout in La Quinta, California.

Dunlap is only the third amateur since 1957 to win a professional tournament. “I’ve never felt anything like this,” Dunlap said. “It was so cool to experience that as an amateur.” The reigning amateur champion broke the tournament record with 29 strokes under par and is also the youngest amateur to win on the PGA Tour since 1910.

Nick Dunlap was very nervous

Bitter, however: He is not allowed to keep the prize money of over 1.3 million francs. Second-placed Bezuidenhout concedes this. The reason for this is that amateurs on the PGA Tour are only allowed prize money of up to 1,000 francs. According to his parents, it has not yet been decided whether he will remain an amateur as a student or switch to the PGA Tour and become a professional. He is definitely eligible to play for the Masters and the US Open.

He himself did not want to comment on the loss of the prize money to the US media. However, he praised Bezuidenhout as a “great player” who he begrudged everything. He also admitted that he was probably the “most nervous player” ever. “I couldn’t feel my hands, feet and legs at times.”

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(dpa/nih)