Dunlap, Justin Thomas withdraw late
Less than 24 hours after winning The American Express, Nick Dunlap needs a breather.
It was a whirlwind 72 holes in La Quinta, California, for the 20-year-old sophomore in his second season of college golf at Alabama. It was a most intense final round as he made two clutch pars on the final two holes to win by a shot, beating a field of professionals to become the first amateur in 33 years to win on the PGA Tour.
Not only did he win, but he did so in record fashion, posting a 29-under total, the lowest since the event was reduced from a 90-hole tournament to 72.
Dunlap was eligible for the $1.5 million prize due to his amateur status but golf fans won’t soon forget the historical achievement.
On Monday, Dunlap, through the PGA Tour communications office, announced that he will not compete in this week’s Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego.
He was in the field previously as a sponsor exemption. His AmEx win removed that status from him but as he was then in the field as a PGA Tour winner, it moved Harrison Endycott in as a sponsor exemption.
A further unrelated sequence of events happened when Justin Thomas withdrew. That got Endycott in the field and opened up a sponsor exemption for Hayden Springer.
Nonetheless, Dunlap is stepping back for the week. He is pondering whether to accept the PGA Tour card and turn pro or stay in school.
Wednesday-Saturday schedule
This will be the third year that the
Farmers Insurance Open will start on Wednesday and conclude on Saturday. It’s the only PGA Tour stop with a Saturday final round and that has to do with football.
The NFL’s AFC and NFC championship games are back-to-back Sunday, and with the monster TV ratings the league garners, the PGA Tour made a strategic move to avoid that day.
“We are excited about the opportunity that these changes present and fully
embrace the uniqueness that comes with being the only tournament on the PGA Tour schedule with a Saturdayevening finish,” Marty Gorsich, CEO of the Century Club of San Diego, which runs the Farmers, said in a statement in September of 2021 when the change was made official.
Defending champ Homa to play
The Farmers field is usually strong and it will be once again. Defending champion Max Homa, who was last seen winning in South Africa two months ago, is back.
Ludvig Aberg, Patrick Cantlay, Jason Day, Tony Finau, Sungjae Im, Hideki Matsuyama, Collin Morikawa, Justin Rose and Xander Schauffele are all in field.
Two courses in play
Torrey Pines has a North and a South course, with the first 36 holes contested over the two. Then after the cut, all the action takes place on the South, which is ranked No. 39 on Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play 2023: Top 100 U.S. public-access courses. Torrey Pines is a municipal facility (one of two on the PGA Tour schedule). If you’re a non-resident, it’ll cost about $400 for greens fee, booking fee and a golf cart to play Friday through Sunday.