Nick Dunlap's LIV Golf links explained as college star makes PGA Tour history
The PGA Tour's latest prodigy, Nick Dunlap, is already drawing links to the LIV Golf setup, after the college star became the first amateur since 1991 to win on Tour.
Dunlap prevailed at last week's American Express in California, fending off the likes of Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele and Sam Burns to become the first non-pro since Phil Mickelson 33 years earlier to get over the line. In becoming a champion Dunlap unsurprisingly became on overnight star.
Now all eyes are on what Dunlap does next, with the 20-year-old unable to earn a penny of the £1.2 million winning prize on offer due to his amateur status.
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It remains to be seen when the college star will opt to make the decision to turn pro, and at which event he will choose to do so. On the back of his victory last weekend, Dunlap opted to pull out of this week's Farmers Insurance Open.
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If he is to turn pro, he will be able to compete in all of the PGA Tour's Signature Events for 2024. He already has spots at three of the four majors this year too in the Masters, PGA Championship and U.S. Open thanks to his U.S. Amateur win in 2023, as well as also landing an entry into next month's Players Championship following his AmEx triumph.
As is the world of modern professional golf, there is also another route on offer for the youngster too. That is of course LIV Golf, who have emerged as one of golf's leading circuits alongside its new-found PGA Tour rivals.
Nick Dunlap became the first amateur on tour to win since Phil Mickelson (Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Dunlap was quizzed on whether he had received any contact from LIV bosses on the back of his win, to which he responded: "As of right now I have no idea, I really don't. I know." A move to the Saudi league would not be out of the question, with Dunlap managed by GSE Worldwide, who work with a number of LIV stars.
The likes of Bryson DeChambeau and Sergio Garcia are part of the GSE network, with Dunlap's representative Kevin Canning also that of another LIV star in Jason Kokrak. Dunlap would not be the first amateur to also turn pro with the breakaway league too.
Spanish duo David Puig and Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra opted to take this route, the latter another golfer who is represented by GSE. There is not doubt Dunlap would be handed a mega-money signing on fee too. Reports suggested Lopez-Chacarra banked a contract worth up to £12.6 million, which would no doubt be topped by Dunlap with his win in California last week only enhancing his worth in the game.
For now though it seems Dunlap's focus is with the PGA Tour if his post-tournament comments are anything to go by. I've always grown up dreaming of playing on the PGA Tour," he said on Sunday. "To win a PGA Tour event. That was always my dream, to do that.
"I've always tried to chase something that nobody else has done. That's why I always put in the work that I do, I want to do something special, and something memorable, not only for me, but maybe to leave something behind for somebody else to try to follow and gauge at."
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