Nick Dunlap wins 2024 Barracuda Championship, his first victory as a professional
Former Alabama star Nick Dunlap has been on a historic path in the golfing world for the past two years. First, he claimed the 2023 U.S. Amateur Championship, then he went on to win the 2024 American Express Championship, while he was still an amateur. He’s battled through some ups and downs in his first year of professional golf this year, but Dunlap crossed another major milestone on Sunday, bringing home the 2024 Barracuda Championship.
Here’s a picture of him with the coveted trophy below.
It should be noted that the Barracuda Championship uses what’s known as the Modified Stableford scoring system, which is different from standard scoring. A double eagle is worth 8 points, an eagle is worth 5 points, a birdie is 2 points, and a par is 0 points. A bogey is -1 points, and a double bogey or worse is worth -3 points.
Dunlap finished with 49 points (+49), one shy of the tournament record. He scored +19 on his final round on Sunday, propelling him to the victory. He took the lead after draining a 55-foot eagle putt on the par 5 15th, and finished the job, once again making his mark on golf history. To start the day on Sunday, Dunlap was nine points behind the leader, Mac Meissner.
Vince Whaley finished second place (+47), just two points behind Dunlap. Patrick Fishburn finished third with +46. And Mac Meissner finished fourth with +44.
Dunlap carded a 9-under 62 in his final round on Sunday at Tahoe Mountain Club, once again proving that he loves playing in the state of California (both of his PGA Tour wins were there). With the win, he actually gets to keep the check this time around since he’s a professional. The former Alabama star reeled in a cool $720,000 to go along with 300 FedEx Cup points.
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The win will move him to 63rd in the FedEx Cup Standings, which will move him just inside the cut line (Top 70 qualify). There are two events remaining before the 2024 FedEx Cup Playoffs begin. July 25th will be the 3M Open and August 8th will be the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina. Then, August 15th is when the FedEx St. Jude Championship begins, the first leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
Nick Dunlap continues to put himself in rarified territory
With the win, Dunlap becomes the first player ever to win on the PGA Tour as both an amateur and as a professional in the same season. He is the first rookie to win on the PGA Tour since Xander Schauffele in 2017. Dunlap also became the first rookie to win twice on the PGA Tour since Schauffele did it. He also joined an elite class of golfers on the PGA Tour this year with multiple victories: Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy, and Robert MacIntyre.
If he can stay inside the Top 70 to qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs in a few weeks, it’ll be fascinating to see how he plays.