Why Nick Dunlap, amateurs should get paid amid historic American Express win
Nick Dunlap won The American Express, but his amateur status forbade him from earning money. That should change.
Due to his status as an amateur golfer, Nick Dunlap received $0 for his victory at The American Express, the third event of the 2024 PGA Tour season.
And frankly, that should change.
Why should Dunlap be punished for winning a PGA Tour event, even though he is only a sophomore at the University of Alabama?
He missed out on receiving the $1,512,000 that goes to the winner, which was given to second-place finisher Christiaan Bezuidenhout instead. Every other player in the field received additional paydays because of Dunlap’s victory, too.
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Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images
Even Will Gordon, who finished in 67th place all by himself, received $17,892 for his performance, and Dunlap beat him by 18 strokes.
Dunlap may have an impressive Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deal at Alabama, but that should not affect his eligibility when it comes to receiving winnings at a PGA Tour event.
He deserves to receive that $1.5 million. He beat the likes of Justin Thomas, Sam Burns, Patrick Cantlay, and world number-one Scottie Scheffler. And yet, those three players benefitted from losing to Dunlap. Their paydays got a nice bump thanks to this archaic rule.
What do you think about this rule? Should amateurs who win on the PGA Tour receive their winnings? Or do you think they should keep this rule as is? Let us know in the comments below.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.