“I was a train wreck. I'm not going to lie to you” - Rookie Nick Dunlap gets candid about his FedEx Season after dream debut

Nick Dunlap made several heads turn by winning the American Express as an amateur this year. He impressed the masses by registering his first win after coming on as a sponsor exemption. He has since turned pro and is now advancing to the BMW Championship after a tense start to the FedExCup Playoffs.

Dunlap, who won his second PGA Tour title at the Barracuda Championship, marked his FedExCup Playoffs this weekend. The 20-year-old carded 13 under 256 to finish T5 alongside Sam Burns. The young golfer, who came into the competition after missing two consecutive cuts, admitted to ‘struggling’ ahead of the event.

The golfer noted that his 21-event journey on the PGA Tour hasn’t been easy. However, the rookie said he is “super proud” of himself for advancing to the BMW Championship despite the tough season.

An emotional Nick Dunlap said at the FedEx St.Jude Championship on Sunday, as quoted by ASAP Sports:

“Gosh, I don’t even know where to start. From the results, it’s not night and day but it is to me. I was kind of struggling… I was a train wreck. I'm not going to lie to you. I was arguably the most nervous I've ever been, to be honest. I just didn't want the season to end. I've been having so much fun... However that would have shaped out, I would have been super proud of myself.”

It is pertinent to note that Nick Dunlap even had a chance to take the lead of the FedEx St.Jude Championship at one point. However, he also landed at a place where he needed his best drive of the week just to stay in the top 50 bubble and advance to the next playoff round.

The golfer came in clutch by closing with a par for a 69 to tie for fifth while Hideki Matsuyama took the win.

He added:

“It was weird. I went from on 17, I tried to attack the pin. I thought I still had a chance to win the golf tournament. Then not getting up-and-down, and then I’m questioning if I’m inside the bubble or not. It was very stressful.”

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Nick Dunlap’s season so far

As mentioned above, Nick Dunlap has played 21 PGA Tour events so far. He has won two events - The American Express and The Barracuda Championship - and finished in the top-10 one time this season. The golfer has earned $2,735,825 in 2024 and sits 48th on the FedExCup table with 1,121 points.

Notably, the rookie failed to make the cut at eight different events including the Masters, PGA Championship and the US Open.

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Listed below is the complete breakdown of Nick Dunlap’s season so far (Event – position – earning):

• The American Express - 1st - $0 (Amateur)
• AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am - T80 - $32,000
• The Genesis Invitational - CUT -
• Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches - T53 - $21,390
• Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard - T48 - $54,000
• THE PLAYERS Championship - CUT -
• Texas Children's Houston Open - T11 - $211,575
• Masters Tournament - CUT -
• RBC Heritage - T69 - $41,000
• THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson - T30 - $52,293
• Wells Fargo Championship - T24 - $166,500
• PGA Championship - CUT -
• the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday - T12 - $430,333
• US Open - CUT -
• Travelers Championship - T66 - $40,500
• Rocket Mortgage Classic - T10 - $206,233
• John Deere Classic - CUT -
• Barracuda Championship - 1st - $720,000
• 3M Open - CUT -
• Wyndham Championship - CUT -
• FedEx St. Jude Championship - T5 - $760,000

It’ll be interesting to see if Nick Dunlap proceeds to the Tour Championship.