PGA TOUR University On TOUR: Nick Dunlap wins The American Express, turns pro accepting TOUR membership

PGA TOUR

Alabama sophomore Nick Dunlap won The American Express, becoming the eighth amateur to win on TOUR and just the third to do so since 1957. Dunlap announced Thursday morning that he is turning pro and accepting PGA TOUR membership, and he will make his pro debut at next week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

"It was the easiest, hardest decision that I've ever had to make," Dunlap said on Thursday. "I was very fortunate that everyone had the same opinion about it, and my teammates were awesome and very supportive. It goes back to the family that Alabama has; they were very supportive and wanted me to chase my dreams."

Kevin Yu (Class of 2021) tallied a career-best 10 birdies in the final round, carding a 63 and a T3 finish. Yu is currently T3 in the Aon Swing 5 and will qualify for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the next Signature Event, if he stays inside the Aon Swing 5 after this week’s Farmers Insurance Open. Yu got off to a good start Wednesday – he opened with an 8-under 64 on the North Course at Torrey Pines and was the first-round leader for the first time in his TOUR career.

Cameron Sisk received a sponsor exemption and is making his first start of 2024 at Torrey Pines. This is the San Diego native’s first appearance at the Farmers Insurance Open. In addition to Sisk, there are 12 total alumni in the field: Yu, Davis Thompson, Jacob Bridgeman, Austin Eckroat, Joe Highsmith, Ludvig Åberg, Parker Coody, Pierceson Coody, Adrien Dumont De Chassart, Chris Gotterup and Mac Meissner.

PGA TOUR University Alumni – FedExCup Standings

Korn Ferry Tour

Quade Cummins finished T2 at The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club, his second straight top-10 finish. Cummins birdied five of his last seven holes which led to a 7-under 65, tied with winner Aldrich Potgieter for the low round of the day. Including Cummins, five alumni finished in the top 20. Noah Goodwin recorded his second straight top-10 to start the year with a T6 finish, Sam Bennett finished T9 in his first start of the season, with Ross Steelman and Ricky Castillo finished T20. Logan McAlister (T27), Trevor Werbylo (T35) and Fred Biondi (T68) also made the cut.

Fifteen alumni will compete in the third event of the Tour’s International Swing, which will run from Thursday through Sunday (Feb. 1-4). The Panama Championship will feature Cummins, Goodwin, Bennett, Castillo, Steelman, McAllister, Werbylo, Biondi, Sam Choi, Trent Phillips, Patrick Welch, Jackson Suber, Cole Hammer, John Pak and William Mouw. Cummins and Goodwin are two of just three players who opened their season with back-to-back top-10s.

PGA TOUR University Alumni –Korn Ferry Tour Points List

DP World Tour

Michael Thorbjornsen made his return to competition last weekend at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, playing on a sponsor exemption awarded to the top player in the PGA TOUR University Ranking at the end of the fall season. Thorbjornsen finished T11 after carding a bogey-free third round and a 4-under 68 in the final round. The Stanford senior now has back-to-back top 20 finishes in Dubai, after finishing T20 in 2023.

Alex Fitzpatrick (Class of 2022) moved up 20 spots to No. 24 in the Race to Dubai after a T16 finish at Emirates Golf Club. The Englishman earned 108 points after finishing the weekend 5-under. This is the third straight top-20 finish for Fitzpatrick on the DP World Tour, as he looks to earn his PGA TOUR card by finishing in the top-10 in the 2024 Race to Dubai.

Florida State’s Frederik Kjettrup, the No. 11 player in the PGA TOUR University Ranking, was also in the field playing on a sponsor exemption. The Seminole senior carded rounds of 73-76 and missed the cut in his second start on the DP World Tour.

Latin America Amateur Championship

Santiago De La Fuente punched his ticket to the 2024 Masters, The Open Championship and the U.S. Open after shooting a tournament-low 64 in the final round to become the second Mexican to win the Latin America Amateur Championship. De La Fuente sat at even par after the first two days of competition and caught fire over the final 36 holes, making 11 birdies and one bogey in that span. The University of Houston senior dueled with fellow countryman and UCLA junior Omar Morales throughout the final round, emerging victorious after back-to-back birdies on Nos. 17 and 18.

De La Fuente’s victory comes after a decorated 2023 campaign that included an All-AAC selection and collegiate victories at The American Championships and the Border Olympics.