Wild Saturday sets up historic finish at The American Express

LA QUINTA, Calif. – Surely, Justin Thomas thought his third-round 61 at PGA WEST’s Pete Dye Stadium Course would give him the lead entering the final day at The American Express. At the very least, the 15-time PGA TOUR winner assumed it would be the day's low round.

Nope. Not this week. That’s life at The American Express, which took a turn for the historic with Thomas’ round and the emergence of Nick Dunlap, the sure-swinging U.S Amateur champ who shot 11-under 60 to tie the lowest round ever by an amateur in a PGA TOUR event. He is three shots ahead of Sam Burns and four clear of Thomas, his final-round playing partners.

“Didn’t think I was going to have to deal with a freaking college kid shooting 60 today,” Thomas said.

Nobody did. But Saturday was the day The American Express went crazy. A day of lipped-out holes-in-one, supremely low scores and the blossoming of a superstar who hasn’t yet turned pro. It was the warmup act for a final round that has all the ingredients of a storybook finish.

The main character is Dunlap. The 20-year-old University of Alabama sophomore could become the first amateur to win a PGA TOUR event since Phil Mickelson at the 1991 Northern Telecom Open. He would also be the second-youngest TOUR winner in the last 90 years. He is the first amateur to hold a 54-hole lead/co-lead in a TOUR event since Paul Dunne at the 2015 Open Championship.

“It's going to be hard," Dunlap said of the task ahead on Sunday. "It's going to be something that I haven't experienced yet, obviously, on the PGA TOUR. We've got a good game plan for that golf course, and just kind of go out there and do us and stay in the present.”

There have been close calls in recent years. Michael Thorbjornsen contended at the 2022 Travelers Championship, ultimately finishing solo fourth. Sam Bennett was in the hunt through three rounds at the Masters last spring. But Dunlap is different. Neither predecessor was leading, nor did they have the amateur pedigree of Dunlap.

He shot 59 as a 12-year-old at Highland Golf Club in Birmingham, Alabama, as part of a decorated junior career. He’s currently the No. 3 ranked amateur in the world, behind only Gordon Sargent and Christo Lamprecht. Dunlap beat Sargent on his way to a dominating victory at the U.S. Amateur last summer at Cherry Hills Country Club. With the win, he joined Tiger Woods as the only golfers to win both the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Junior Amateur.

None of the previous close calls included a round of 60 either, which matched Patrick Cantlay’s 60 at the 2011 Travelers Championship for the lowest by an amateur. Dunlap followed a par on the 10th hole of La Quinta Country Club, his first hole of the day, with four consecutive birdies. He added another on No. 17 to make the turn in 6-under 30. He added four more birdies and an eagle on his back nine to shoot 60.

His closest pursuers have gone low this week, too. Thomas, a fellow Crimson Tide product, birdied six straight holes on the back nine to post 61 on Saturday and grab a spot in the final group. He nearly matched Dunlap’s 60, if not for a lip-out on a possible hole-in-one on the par-3 13th.

“As soon as it got on the ground and it was going to the hole, in my head, I'm like, this is going to go in,” he said. “That is so cruel.”

Thomas couldn’t be too mad, though. Sunday will be his best chance to win in over a year and would mark a triumphant start to what he hopes is a rebound season. Thomas did not qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs for the first time last year and is not in any of the 2024 Signature Events. His well-documented struggles reached a boiling point in the majors. He shot 78 in the second round of the Masters to miss the cut, then posted rounds over 80 at both the U.S. Open and The Open Championship. His play has turned recently, with three top fives in his last three stroke-play events. Sunday could put a cap on the comeback.

Then there’s Sam Burns, an LSU graduate who is an honorary Alabama fan this week based on his most recent haircut. Burns led through 36 holes after firing a 61 of his own on Friday. He followed it Saturday with a 65 and is 24-under overall. A win at The American Express this week would make it four straight seasons with at least one PGA TOUR victory for Burns. He set career-bests in earnings ($7.14 million) and FedExCup finish (ninth) last year. He has three top-20s in four previous starts at The American Express.

For Burns and Thomas, they’ll be chasing a younger version of themselves. Both arrived to the PGA TOUR as highly touted prospects. Now, they’ll do their best to delay the ascension of another.

“He's going to feel things he hasn't felt tomorrow,” Thomas said of Dunlap.

Hopefully, the golf world will see things it hasn’t seen before. Saturday was the day The American Express went crazy. Let’s see what Sunday has in store.