Dunlap becomes first amateur to win on PGA Tour since 1991
Ko wins first LPGA event of season; McIlroy holds on for victory in Dubai
LA QUINTA, Calif. — Nick Dunlap became the first amateur in 33 years to win on the PGA Tour, holding on for a one-shot victory over Christiaan Bezuidenhout at The American Express on Sunday.
Dunlap, the 20-year-old University of Alabama sophomore and reigning U.S. Amateur champion, is the first amateur winner since Phil Mickelson at the Tucson Open in 1991. Playing in just his fourth tour event, he became only the seventh amateur winner since 1945 — and the third since 1957.
The only amateur in the 156-player field in the tournament long known as the Bob Hope Desert Classic, Dunlap surged into a three-shot lead with a sizzling 60 in the third round. He lost that lead Sunday on the front nine on the Stadium Course at PGA West, but he played with the resilience of a seasoned veteran down the stretch, capped by his recovery from two errant shots on the 18th to finish with a 6-foot par putt.
“Nothing like I’ve ever felt,” Dunlap said. “It was so cool to be out here and experience this as an amateur.”
He ended up with a 2-under 70 to finish at 29-under 259 and break the tournament scoring record as a 72-hole event. He’s also the youngest winner in the event’s history, and he became the youngest amateur to win on the tour since 1910.
Bezuidenhout birdied the 18th in the group ahead to keep pressure on Dunlap, whose tee shot landed high in the rough. His second shot wasn’t much more accurate, but took a fortunate roll from the rough into a grassy drainage area off the green.
Dunlap got inside 6 feet with his third shot, and he celebrated the par putt for the title with hugs from his parents, his girlfriend and his college coach, Jay Seawell, who all flew cross-country over the weekend to watch in person.
Dunlap got the celebration for one of the most impressive performances in recent golf history, but he doesn’t get the $1.5 million first-place prize, which goes to Bezuidenhout after the South African’s final-round 65.
Dunlap also doesn’t get the 500 FedEx Cup points — but his rewards are still ample, starting with a two-year PGA Tour exemption through 2026. He can compete in full-field events even if he stays at Alabama, and he can compete in signature events if he turns pro.
Dunlap showed mental toughness while playing through obvious nerves in his final round. His three-shot lead vanished all at once when he double-bogeyed the seventh while Sam Burns birdied it, but Dunlap coolly rebounded and battled Burns down the stretch, pulling even with a birdie on the 16th.
And then Burns was the one who flinched, completely missing the famed island green on the 17th and hitting the water with his 164-yard drive. He also missed a 26-foot bogey putt, abruptly handing a two-shot lead to Dunlap going to the 18th.
Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele and Kevin Yu tied for third at 27 under.
LPGA: In Orlando, Fla., Lydia Ko rediscovered her winning touch Sunday in the season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, closing with a 2-under 70 for a two-shot victory over Alexa Pano at Lake Nona.
Ko, who finished at 14-under 274, won for the 20th time on the LPGA Tour. The 26-year-old from New Zealand became the seventh woman to win 20 LPGA titles before turning 27.
“The win is obviously great,” Ko said. “I wasn’t sure if I was going to be back in the winner’s circle, and to be back to the first tournament of the season, it’s pretty cool and so much faster than I could have ever anticipated.”
Ko was winless in 20 LPGA starts a year ago, and she now can resume her quest for entry into the exclusive LPGA Hall of Fame. Ko needs 27 points to get there, and the triumph Sunday put her just one point away.
Sunday’s final margin was two shots, but Ko remained in control throughout the final round, played amid unseasonably cool temperatures that dipped into the 40s. Ko, bogey-free in her second and third rounds, birdied four of her first 15 holes Sunday against a single bogey to leave her pursuers battling for second most of the day.
DP WORLD TOUR: In Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Rory McIlroy won the Dubai Desert Classic for a record fourth time Sunday, completing a remarkable weekend comeback by reeling in Cameron Young early in the final round, then holding off Adrian Meronk by a stroke.
“It was one of those days where there wasn’t a ton of fireworks just because the course was so difficult,” McIlroy said. “But I held on as best as I could and thankfully no one around the top of the leaderboard made much of a run.”
McIlroy closed with a 2-under 70 to retain the title at a tournament he first won in 2009 and has captured more than any other in his career. Among his 35 wins as a professional, he had also won the Tour Championship and Wells Fargo Championship three times.