How did amateur Nick Dunlap break into The American Express field? All you need to know

Amateur golfer Nick Dunlap, who made headlines last year after matching the record set by legendary golfer Tiger Woods in winning the US Amatuer and US Amatuer Junior Championship, entered the stellar field of this week's The American Express.

The tournament, which began on Thursday, January 18, features a stacked field, including current world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. Nick Dunlap made it to the field on sponsor exemption. He was impressive with his game in 2023 in amateur tournaments and was invited to The American Express.

Tournament executive director Pat McCabe opened up about the PGA Tour's decision to allow Dunlap at The American Express in his recent media interview. He said that it was important to give young talents the opportunity they deserve and that it was fun to watch Dunlap compete with professional golfers.

McCabe said (via Golf Week):

“I just think it’s important to give these decorated young players opportunities like this. It will be fun to see him out there playing with the pros at a PGA event. We’re excited to have him here.”

In addition to Dunlap, Yuxin Lin, John Pak and Taiga Semikawa earned a sponsor exemption to compete at The American Express.

However, it is important to note that it's not the first time Nick Dunlap has been playing in a professional tournament. He participated in the 2023 Butterfield Bermuda Championship and has played at the US Open twice, all on special exemptions.

He has participated in three professional tournaments but failed to make the cut in any of them. However, things appear to be rather different at The American Express this week.

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Nick Dunlap's performance at The American Express 2024

Nick Dunlap is not taking the chance to prove his golfing prowess in a professional tournament lightly. He is making the best use of the opportunity and that can be seen in his first-round performance.

The American Express started with its inaugural round on Thursday, January 18, and Dunlap finished in a tie for fifth place with Si Woo Kim, Alexander Bjork, Justin Lower, Chan Kim, Patrick Cantlay, Hayden Springer, Xander Schauffele, and Scott Stallings.

Nick Dunlap teed off at the Nicklaus Tournament Course for the first round of the tournament on Thursday. He had a great start with a birdie on the tenth hole, followed by an eagle and another a birdie on the 12th.

He carded another birdie on the 15th and two more on the back nine. The 20-year-old golfer made two eagles in the opening round and just one bogey. He finished with a score of 8-under-64, just two strokes behind tournament leaders Zach Johnson and Alex Noren.

For the second round of the tournament, Nick Dunlap will tee off with Wilson Fur at the Stadium Course on the first tee hole at 1: 09 p.m. ET on Friday, January 19.