TRUCKEE, Calif. — Nick Dunlap became the first player in PGA Tour history to win as an amateur and a professional in the same year, rallying Sunday for a two-point victory in the Barracuda Championship.
In January at The American Express in La Quinta, the 20-year-old Dunlap — then a sophomore at the University of Alabama — became the eighth amateur to win a tour event and the first in 33 years. He turned professional days later.
''I never thought that I would have my name next to that, but it's definitely an honor,'' Dunlap said about the amateur-pro double. ''It's been a little tough after AmEx. You kind of lose a little bit of confidence and wonder if you can do it again.''
On Sunday at Tahoe Mountain Club in the only PGA Tour event that uses the modified Stableford scoring system, Dunlap took the lead with a 55-foot eagle putt on the par-5 15th.
Players receive eight points for a double eagle, five for eagle and two for birdie. A point is deducted for bogey and three for double bogey.
''I hadn't made an eagle yet this week, so that was kind of the goal, and just play aggressive, not reckless,'' Dunlap said. ''This course, it allows you to make a lot of birdies if you're in position.''
Dunlap added a birdie on the par-4 17th, cutting the dogleg with a 304-yard drive and chipping to 3 feet.
Nine points behind leader Mac Meissner entering the day, Dunlap had 19 points in the bogey-free round to finish with 49. He birdied six of the first 12 holes on the tree-lined Old Greenwood course.
