From tee to trophy: Meet the 2024 Barracuda Championship winner

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Jul. 24, 2024

Among the 156 players that competed in this year’s Barracuda Championship, 20-year-old Nick Dunlap ultimately secured the victory, claiming first place and earning $720,000, while Vince Whaley finished second, taking home $436,000. Nick now holds the title of youngest winner in the tournament’s history, an honor previously given to 2023 Barracuda Championship winner Akshay Bhatia, who was 21 years old when he won.

“It’s kind of neat. I never thought that I would have my name next to that, but it’s definitely an honor,” Dunlap explained in a post-game interview. “It’s been a little tough after AmEx. You know, you kind of lose a little bit of confidence and wonder if you can do it again. I truly have the greatest team, and they support me. They believe in me, they push me, and they’re the reason that I’m here.”

A look at the champion’s professional career

In 2021, Dunlap won the U.S. Junior Amateur, and he won the U.S. Amateur two years later. One of his most notable wins prior to the Barracuda Championship is his victory at the 2024 American Express in La Quinta, California, earlier this year. At this tournament, he joined the ranks as the second-youngest player to win on the PGA Tour since World War II. Due to his amateur status at the time, he was unable to collect the $1.51 million award, and the prize was passed down to the second-place winner, Christiaan Bezuidenhout. Dunlap left the University of Alabama and transitioned to professional status the following week.

Dunlap’s come-from-behind win

This past weekend, Dunlap made PGA Tour history by becoming the first golf player to win as both an amateur and a professional in the same year and season. With a come-from-behind win, he leaped 27 spots on the leaderboard during the final round. His impressive 55-foot eagle putt at the 15th hole also gave him an advantage for the remainder of the tournament’s final round.

Dunlap's overall score of 49 points gave him a two-point edge over Vince Whaley by the end of the competition. The triumph moved Dunlap into the top 70 of the FedEx Cup standings, positioning him favorably to qualify for the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, the first event of the FedEx Cup playoffs happening next month.

Dunlap clinched the champion title under the tournament’s Modified Stableford scoring system, where scoring is based on points awarded for birdies and eagles and penalties for bogeys or worse.

In the moments leading up to the trophy ceremony, cameras captured a phone call Dunlap had with his mom who promised to attend his next tournament.

Video credits: PGA Tour Instagram

Next on the schedule, Dunlap will be participating in the 3M Open taking place in Blaine, Minnesota this week.

If you’d like to see some of Nick’s highlights from the Barracuda Championship, the PGA Tour has a recap available.

Rosey Saini

Rosey is a Social Media Coordinator at Barracuda and helps support the Social Media/Communications team with content generation, social strategy, and more. She also holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration/Marketing from San Jose State University.

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