Nick Dunlap just rewrote history! The 20-year-old became the first amateur golfer to win a PGA Tour event since 1991; accomplishing this feat has started a debate online, with many people comparing him to Tiger Woods. And it is true that he is on track to make the same records Woods made.
With his triumph, Dunlap became the first reigning US amateur champion to win on the PGA Tour since the legendary golfer Phil Mickelson. However, there are a lot of accomplishments made by the 48-year-old that Nick Dunlap has not even touched. It looks like the 20-year-old has a long journey ahead of him to reach those records.
Will Nick Dunlap rise up to be Tiger Woods’s successor?
After the amateur golfer won the American Express title, questions about him being Woods’s successor started to arise. However, it looks like it is too soon to compare the two golfers, as one started inscribing his golfing legacy even before the other was born.
Being one of the G.O.A.Ts of the golfing realm, it is no surprise that the 20-year-old considers Tiger Woods to be his idol. For a clearer perspective, Michael McEwan took to X and listed out Mr.T’s achievements. Nick Dunlap was born on December 23, 2003.
But by that time, Woods was already 28 years old and already had eight majors to his name; he “had completed the career grand slam.” According to the Scottish author, the 82-time PGA Tour winner had amassed “almost $40 million on the PGA Tour.”Furthermore, he had already spent “298” weeks as the world number one, a feat spanning over five years.
However, given Dunlap’s recent performances and career trajectory, it looks like the 20-year-old might be able to reach the golfing greatness attained by his idol by the time he reaches his age. But he would have to perform consistently at the top level to achieve that goal. Tiger Woods was able to do that for decades, and maybe that is why he is the idol of Nick Dunlap.
How does Dunlap feel about the comparison to Woods?
Despite matching the records set by Tiger Woods, Dunlap feels he is still learning from his idol. After winning the 2024 AmEx, the amateur golfer felt he might never achieve what Woods has done, but he is always “trying to chase him.” He has felt this way since his US Amateur Golf Championship win. After his win, he stated, “Well, I think it’s only a third of what Tiger’s actually done.”
And he was right about his assumption because Tiger Woods had won the title three times consecutively from 1994 to 1996. While Dunlap cannot match Woods’s amateur record, do you think he can surpass his professional record one day? Let us know in the comments section below.
