Former Alabama golfer Nick Dunlap rises into contention at Cognizant Classic with hole-in-one
Former Alabama star golfer Nick Dunlap already accomplished unbelievable things during his time as an amateur, establishing himself as one of the greatest amateurs to ever play the game. He recently turned professional on the PGA Tour and let’s just say Dunlap continues to show he’s destined for greatness. On Friday at the 2024 Cognizant Classic, Dunlap rose into contention with a hole-in-one on No. 7 at PGA National.
Not only was it the first hole in one of his PGA Tour career, but the shot put him one stroke off the lead.
Following the completion of his second round, Dunlap currently sits at 5-under par for the tournament, ranking him T24. He shot a 67 in the first round on Thursday. And he carded a 70 on Friday.
After the round, the PGA Tour tweeted out a picture of Dunlap with his scorecard, showing off his hole-in-one.
Dunlap has currently played in six events in his PGA Tour career thus far, making two cuts. He’s already had one win (American Express) on the tour, but that was when he was an amateur, so unfortunately, he couldn’t keep any of the prize money.
In his pro career, he’s already brought in $32,000, but he seems well on his way to another payday this weekend.
A fellow Crimson Tide alumnus is leading the Cognizant Classic at the midway point. After being sidelined for over three years due to injuries from a car accident in 2018, Bud Cauley is currently in first place all by himself at 11-under par. He fired a 6-under par 65 on Friday to surge into the lead.
As an amateur, Dunlap accomplished feats that put him among some of the greatest players in the history of the sport. He won both the U.S. Junior Amateur and the U.S. Amateur, making him just the second golfer in history to do that other than Tiger Woods.
Then in January of 2024, Dunlap received a sponsor exemption into The American Express Championships on the PGA Tour. In the third round, the former Alabama star carded a 60, tying Patrick Cantlay for the lowest round by an amateur on the PGA Tour. He fired 2-under par in the final round to come away with the win by one stroke. In accomplishing the historic feat, Dunlap became the first amateur to win a PGA Tour event since Phil Mickelson won the Tuscon Open in 1991. That’s more than three decades ago.
In winning his first tournament at the age of 20 years and 29 days, Dunlap also became the second-youngest winner on the PGA Tour in the past 90 years, behind Jordan Spieth. He also became the first amateur to ever win the U.S. Junior Amateur, U.S. Amateur, and a PGA Tour event. Great things await the budding star and it’s going to be fascinating to watch his professional career unfold in the future.