Masters 2024: Is PGA Tour Rookie Nick Dunlap Qualified to Play at ANGC?

The Masters is set among the rich history and traditions of the Augusta National Golf Club. Along with the seasoned veterans, the field this year will also have up-and-coming players making their mark on golf’s biggest stage. Young players such as Joaquin Niemann and Stephan Jaeger will be gracing the greens of Augusta this year. On the list of young and new players, will 2024 PGA Tour rookie Nick Dunlap be there?

Indeed, Nick Dunlap is a member of the esteemed field for the upcoming 2024 Masters. Getting an invite to the esteemed tournament in his rookie year is surely a feather in the young pro’s cap, and he sure will be looking forward to making it count.

How did Nick Dunlap qualify for the 2024 Masters?

The young golfer won the 2024 American Express event as an amateur and became the first amateur to win on the PGA Tour since Phil Mickelson in 1991. As a rule, all the PGA Tour winners from the last Masters to this year’s Masters are qualified to compete in the illustrious event.

The current U.S. amateur champion and sophomore at Alabama is only the third amateur winner on Tour since 1957, following Scott Verplank (1985 Western Open) and Mickelson (1991 Northern Telecom Open). In addition, Dunlap is the second-youngest Tour winner in the last 90 years, trailing only Jordan Spieth, who won the 2013 John Deere Classic at the age of 19.

Dunlap’s claim to fame isn’t bathed in years of professional experience or multiple victories. Rather, it depends on winning the US Amateur Championship in 2023 and narrowly defeating Neal Shipley. After his win in La Quinta, California, the young golfer moved up 4,000 places in the Official World Golf Ranking and reached No. 68. Notably, the day before he turned professional in January, Dunlap became No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.

The Masters 2024 field of competitors is strong and varied, coming from all around the world. Players with a track record of success in major tournaments, including Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia, and others, will be there to raise the standard of the competition. Against seasoned pros who have spent years navigating the course’s difficult slopes and lightning-fast greens, can a golfer who hasn’t played professionally hold his own? It remains to be seen!

Is Nick Dunlap ready for the Masters?

Nick Dunlap has had an interesting run ever since he turned pro and has competed in six tournaments as a professional. Dunlap has demonstrated his ability to compete at a high level by making the cut in four of these six events. Although he has not had any great finishes; his best one so far other than his win has been T11 at the Houston Open, one could say that he is capable of competing on the challenging greens of Augusta. With him, the rookie will bring zeal and a whole new compassion to the field and will be willing to give it his all.

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Dunlap’s career has also had a significant financial impact, as he has earned $318,965 so far. Will Nick Dunlap crumble under the pressure, or will he rise to the occasion? Will he be able to outshine the seasoned pros like he did earlier this year? Only time and the unforgiving fairways of Augusta National Golf Course will tell.

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