Nick Dunlap opens Rocket Mortgage Classic in 5-under, continues adjustment to life on TOUR

Nick Dunlap's introduction to the PGA TOUR was enthralling. The 20-year-old, then amateur, captivated pro golf with a stunning breakthrough at The American Express, shooting a third-round 60 and outlasting Sam Burns and Christiaan Bezuidenhout on Sunday to become the first amateur to win on TOUR in more than 30 years.

His encore has been … a work in progress.

Since the victory in January, Dunlap has had an up-and-down experience adjusting to life on the TOUR. He’s enjoyed a few tournaments in contention. A T11 at the Texas Children’s Houston Open and a T12 at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday were further flashes of that potential he showed at PGA West. But it’s been interspersed with bouts of inconsistency. He’s missed the cut in all three majors and THE PLAYERS Championship and sits 93rd in the FedExCup standings, currently outside of the FedExCup Playoffs.

Perhaps Dunlap’s strong start to the Rocket Mortgage Classic can provide a late-season spark. Dunlap shot 5-under 67 on Thursday, tying his best first-round in relation to par since The American Express.

Teeing off on the back nine of Detroit Golf Club, Dunlap began his round with a 3-under 33 before making the turn. Once he reached the first hole, his tenth of the day, Dunlap caught fire and carded four straight birdies. Several dialed iron shots saw him climb the leaderboard. He hit all four approaches within 15 feet and holed the putts for birdie. A double bogey on the par-3 fifth hole and a bogey on the sixth slowed him down, encapsulating Dunlap’s topsy-turvy season within a nine-hole stretch. Fortunately, Dunlap converted a bounceback birdie on his penultimate hole, the eighth, to move into a tie for second, one behind the lead through the morning wave.

With an eye toward the remaining rounds, Dunlap spoke to the media and summarized his play. “I drove it great, ironed it nicely,” he said. “Clean up on some speed work around the greens, but overall very, very impressed with the way I kind of navigated around today.”

Off the course, Dunlap continues to learn what it means to be a professional golfer. After the first round of the Memorial earlier this month, he told the media, “When you're out here playing three, four weeks in a row, you have to figure out, all right, I'm going to work out these days so I'm not sore, but I'm on the road four weeks, so I got to find a little bit of time to keep my game sharp and learn the golf course as best you can week-to-week.”

It’s an understandable adjustment for a golfer who expected to be preparing for his title defense at the U.S. Amateur rather than pushing for a spot in the FedExCup Playoffs.

After his win at The American Express, Dunlap spoke about his professional golf dreams. Humbly, he said he wouldn’t take for granted this breakthrough victory, and he knew “It may never happen again.”

With three rounds remaining in Detroit, Dunlap will do his best to repeat the past that launched his career. He’s currently projected just outside the top 70 of the FedExCup (73rd, through the morning wave Thursday). If he can climb just a bit higher, it would mark a tremendous success in his rookie campaign.

We learned much about Dunlap in his triumphant victory at The American Express. We will learn even more about the young man from Huntsville, Alabama, as he stands up against several TOUR winners over the next three days in Detroit.