Dunlap, 20, joining PGA after breakthrough victory

Alabama sophomore Nick Dunlap is turning pro after becoming the first amateur in 33 years to win on the PGA Tour.

Dunlap announced his decision Thursday in a campus news conference, four days after the reigning US Amateur champion won The American Express on the PGA Tour. He secured the oneshot victory with a 6-foot par putt on the final hole.

“I truly do have the best team and I’m very grateful to say that,” Dunlap said. “I mean that wholeheartedly. But at this time I do want to announce that I am turning professional. I’m accepting my PGA Tour membership.”

The 20-year-old will make his professional debut at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Feb. 1. With family, Alabama golf coach Jay Seawell, and teammates looking on, Dunlap wiped away tears while thanking those close to him.

“Gosh dang, I didn’t think I was going to cry,” he said.

Dunlap had withdrawn from the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines to consider his options. South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout, runnerup at The American Express, collected the $1.5 million check, not Dunlap.

Thanks to his victory, Dunlap has a PGA Tour card through 2026. He will be eligible for seven $20 million signature events this year, along with three majors (and still a chance to play the British Open).

“It’s a week today that the first round started and a week ago if you had told me that I had the opportunity to live out my dream as a 20-year-old — it’s pretty surreal,” said Dunlap, who plans to continue living in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

“But it’s also scary. There’s a lot of changes.”

Dunlap had earned a spot in the Masters, US Open, and British Open after winning the US Amateur last summer. Despite turning pro, he can still play in the US Open since the USGA no longer requires the US Amateur champion to stay amateur.

His victory gets him in the Masters and PGA Championship. He will have to earn a spot in the British Open.

Dunlap said he informed his Alabama teammates of his decision on Tuesday. He is the first to win both the US junior amateur and amateur titles since Tiger Woods.