This golfer won $1.5 million on a tournament and walked away with nothing: Here’s why he couldn’t get the money

In January 2024, at just 20 years old and while still a sophomore at the University of Alabama, Nick Dunlap won The American Express tournament on the PGA Tour which was an incredibly rare feat, as he became the first amateur to win a PGA Tour event since Phil Mickelson did it in 1991.

Amateur wins on the PGA Tour are extremely uncommon and the victory marked him as one of golf’s most promising young talents.

The win also catapulted Dunlap into elite company, being only the second player in history (alongside Tiger Woods) to win both the U.S. Junior Amateur and the U.S. Amateur championships, and then add a PGA Tour victory as an amateur.

Following his victory, he made the decision to turn professional, and joined the PGA Tour with full status. In his last outing at the PGA Championship in North Carolina last weekend, the Huntsville native failed to make the cut.

No 1.5 million for Dunlap

Despite the 2024 American Express win at the PGA West course in California, Dunlap failed to get his hands on the $1.5 million prize money.

As an amateur player who was invited to play by the sponsor, Dunlap had to forfeit the cash prize.

“At the time, I don’t think I really knew what $1.5 million was,” he smiled. “It wasn’t as hard as it is now. But ultimately, I got what I wanted in the end: a trophy.”

“This is what I always wanted to do,” he said speaking to CNN. “To play golf and get paid for it, even better. Traveling the world, seeing some of the greatest golf courses in the history of the game and playing against the best players in the world. I think it’s definitely a dream!”

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