The American, the first amateur to win since 1991, is obliged to give up the $1.5 million prize
LONDON, 22 Ene. (dpa/EP) –
American golfer Nick Dunlap has won The American Express tournament by one stroke and has become the first amateur to win a PGA Tour event in 33 years, since Phil Mickelson achieved it in 1991.
The 20-year-old University of Alabama student holed a birdie putt on the par-five 16th hole and equaled the lead of his compatriot Sam Burns at the Pete Dye Stadium Course in La Quinta, California (USA).
Burns then stumbled on the most difficult hole of the day, hitting water off the tee on the 17th. At that moment, Dunlap was on the green 10 yards from the hole; He made a routine par, while Burns made double bogey.
The amateur took the lead with the par-four 18th remaining, in which South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout made birdie to get within one. However, Dunlap managed to claim victory with a record score of -29 in 72 holes. Thus, he surpassed the mark of 28 strokes under par established by American golfer Patrick Reed in 2014.
Dunlap is the youngest amateur to win on the PGA Tour since 1910. Although he will not collect the $1.5 million prize as an amateur, he has secured his PGA Tour card for two years. Last year, Dunlap became the only player other than Tiger Woods to capture both the US Junior Amateur and US Amateur titles.