Nick Dunlap (Kathryn Riley/USGA photo)
After a dominating run through the summer amateur majors,
Nick Dunlap of Huntsville, Ala., is the AmateurGolf.com Men's Player of the Year.
The AmateurGolf.com Men's Player of the Year is awarded based on a point system earned through performance in major amateur events throughout the course of the year. The year, the now 20-year-old Dunlap put the points race away early and finished decisively ahead of a strong international and college field.
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Players of the Year |
Coming into the year, there was little indication that Dunlap would end up as the world's top amateur golfer. He had a nice 2022 but suffered an injury, finished 279th in the standings and had not won a major amateur or college event.
But he had an outstanding pedigree, winning a number of important junior championships including the
2021 U.S. Junior, and entering the University of Alabama as the No. 1 ranked junior in his class.
Dunlap finished up his freshman season at Alabama strong, and didn't wait long to pick up his first collegiate victory. At the Linger Longer Invitational in March, he
won by two shots and led the Crimson Tide to the team title.
The win followed solid finishes in the Watersound Invitational (T9) and the Cabo Collegiate (T15).
Dunlap played better and better in Alabama's postseason run, with a T19 at the SEC Championship followed up with a T4 in the NCAA Norman Regional (won by the Tide) and a T11 at the NCAA Championship.
But it was in the summer when Dunlap reached an entirely new level, and by the time his sophomore season rolled around, he had taken his place as the clear No. 1 amateur golfer.
- Back of the Range/EAGS photo It started with qualifying for the U.S. Open, making birdie on the 36th hole and surviving a 3-for-2 playoff in Columbus, Ohio. A few weeks later, he
broke through at the Northeast Amateur, rolling in a 20-footer on the final hole to win his first major amateur.
It was start of a stretch that saw him traverse the U.S. playing golf in the biggest summer majors.
"Hectic," was the word he used to describe it to the media. "But that’s all summer and I enjoy traveling, meeting new people, going to new places, new golf courses."
He didn't wait long for his second major summer win. The following week, Dunlap won the North & South Amateur at Pinehurst, winning five straight matches including a
rain-delayed, comeback win over Karl Vilips in the final. It was a grinding performance for Dunlap, who went at least 16 holes in all five matches, and who escaped his first-round opponent in 20 holes.
After a T8 at the Trans Mississippi Championship, the USGA took notice,
naming Dunlap to the 2023 U.S. Walker Cup team.
In the most grueling tournament in amateur golf, the Western Amateur, Dunlap made a strong run to the quarterfinals. He then traveled to Colorado for the U.S. Amateur Championship.
After safely qualifying for match play, Dunlap faced a daunting first-round opponent, drawing the then-top-ranked
Gordon Sargent in what would have been a fitting final. But Dunlap
rose to the occasion and dispatched Sargent 2&1. From there, he was off.
- Kathryn Riley/USGA photo Unlike at the North & South, Dunlap closed out his matches early. Aside from a 19th-hole escape in the quarterfinal, he was able to win his remaining matches by at least four holes,
including the final when he defeated
Neal Shipley for the title at Cherry Hills.
With his win, Dunlap joined Tiger Woods as the only golfers to win both the U.S. Junior and the U.S. Amateur.
His dream summer concluded in St. Andrews, Scotland, when he and his Walker Cup teammates came back to defeat Great Britain & Ireland and
retain the Walker Cup.
Back on campus, Dunlap began his sophomore season with a win in the
SEC Fall Preview, a pair of runner-up finishes and a T8. Along the way, he tied the NCAA record for the low-round score,
shooting a 60 at the Hamptons Intercollegiate.
In October, Dunlap got one more chance to represent his country, helping the U.S. win the World Amateur Team Championship
for the first time since 2014 with an individual runner-up finish.
Final POY Points Standings, 2023 |
Kazuma Kobori of New Zealand was the runner-up in the points race, on the strength of winning the Western Amateur, Australian Amateur and World Amateur Team individual titles.
Sargent finished third in the standings for the second straight year, followed by British Amateur champion
Christo Lamprecht of South Africa and
Ben James (Milford, CT).
Nick Gabrelcik (Trinity, FL) was the only player other than Sargent to repeat as a top-10 points earner, finishing 9th in the standings.
Complete 2023 Points List (3168 players) |
Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Rankings (two-year aggregate)