‘It Is Very Strange’: Justin Thomas Empathizes With Nick Dunlap After The Rookie Met A Bizarre Fate At Bay Hill

Nick Dunlap has barely begun his professional career! Having turned pro just a month ago, the golfer is now competing alongside veterans and big stars. However, what he dealt with on the course today is something not even many seasoned golfers have been through. At the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the 20-year-old was only accompanied by his caddie, Hunter Hamrick, and a few volunteers, handling score chores on the course. He was playing the round solo, not paired up with anyone else!

Since the final field size for this week was 69, when pros were paired up for the first two rounds, one was bound to be left out. And sadly, the honor lay with Dunlap. The bizarre turn of events turned many heads as the golfer strode alone across the course. And among the many who had something to say about it was also Dunlaps Senior from the University of Alabama, Justin Thomas.

Justin Thomas doesn’t believe Dunlap should have had a partner

After the Thursday round, when Justin Thomas took to the stage, it was almost obvious that he would be questioned about his fellow college junior. The reporter flagged the strange situation of Nick Dunlap entering the field alone and asked JT whether he thought that was okay. And the two-time major winner’s response was perhaps in line with what many thought. “I think it’s just strange… It is very strange,” he said.

Despite dubbing the incident bizarre, Thomas made it clear that it was not something he thought needed changing. “I don’t know if it’s necessarily an issue,” he stated, still pondering it. To him, Dunlap treading the course alone and playing his round was not a big deal, even though it was different from how things normally occur (golfers playing in pairs or trios and teeing off one after another).

JT claimed that there was undoubtedly “a different or better way” that him on the field could have been handled, but he didn’t believe that another player should have been added to the field list just for the sole reason that Dunlap would have been alone. “These events don’t have alternates for a reason; you have to qualify to get in them,” he stated, making it clear that he was glad that the field was based on merit alone.

Very rarely have golfers played solo on a course during an official Tour event, and Dunlap has joined that exclusive cohort now too. And while many would think he would have craved company on the course on Thursday, it was far from the truth! The 20-year-old rookie was glad to be walking solo among the 68 others!

Nick Dunlap believes it’s better to swing solo

After the first round, While candidly talking to Victor Hovland, who was perplexed about the odd happenings, Dunlap stated that initially he too had felt a bit weird. But that soon changed. After playing the round, the golfer was glad that he had headed on and off the course alone. “Personally, I like it as weird as that is to say,” he said, even going so far as to claim that it was “lot better to be playing as a single”!

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Dunlap was sent out as a single on Thursday because Tony Finau elected not to play in the event, leaving an odd number of players this week. As per Tour regulations, there was no alternate list for a player out of Finau’s category, something JT was more than onboard with. Well, it worked out for the best, as the youngster would certainly agree after his par finish at Bay Hill.

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