Nick Dunlap had a historic tournament at The American Express, becoming the first amateur to win a PGA event since Phil Mickelson did so back 1991 as well as become the first reigning US Amateur champion to win on the tour since Tiger Woods in 1996.
While the scores were super-low (Dunlap winning with a phenomenally low score of -29), much of this was due to the 3-course rotation used by the tournament, with players each playing La Quinta Country Club, the Nicklaus Tournament Course, and Pete Dye’s Stadium Course in the first three rounds, and then all players making the cut playing the Stadium Course a final time on Sunday.
Dye’s Stadium Course was the toughest of the three for the pros, with a scoring average of 69.14, followed by the Nicklaus Tournament Course at 68.08, and then La Quinta Country Club at 67.9.
Dye’s island green 17th hole, named ‘Alcatraz’, proved to be the pivotal hole. With Dunlap safely on the front of the green, US Ryder Cup player Sam Burns (tied for the lead with Dunlap) pushed his tee shot just a bit right into the water, ending up taking double bogey.
Another great tournament at The American Express, and Dye’s Stadium Course provided an excellent backdrop for another memorable and historic tournament!