LA QUINTA, Calif. — Nick Dunlap doesn’t possess a false confidence, and he doesn’t project a supernatural calm.
The University of Alabama sophomore fully understood just how crazy it was to be fending off a field of professionals Sunday while he tried to become the PGA Tour’s first amateur winner in 33 years.
“Most nervous I’ve ever been, by far,” Dunlap said. “Just tried to breathe, but also look up and enjoy it a little bit.”
The 20-year-old simply played through it all — through his mistakes, the rising pressure and the overall improbability of his week at The American Express.
Dunlap came out of it with a victory that could herald the arrival of a major golf talent — and one who might not even need to finish the homework he brought with him to the West Coast.