As Nicholas Dunlap correctly noted on Saturday night, the U.S. Junior “is the big one” in junior golf. Dunlap now gets his name etched into the trophy after a long week at the Country Club of North Carolina in Pinehurst, North Carolina.
“My heart is still beating 100 times fast. This is unbelievable,” he said by way of reaction.
Dunlap, a 17-year-old from Hunstville, Alabama, playing his second USGA championship, took down Cohen Trolio on Saturday evening at the end of the scheduled 36-hole final. Dunlap prevailed by a 3-and-2 margin after being in control of the match for much of the day.
Scores: U.S. Junior Amateur
Trolio, who will play for LSU beginning this fall, did this dance backwards. Two years ago, he was a semifinalist at the U.S. Amateur played at nearby Pinehurst No. 2. His trip to the U.S. Junior finals gets him a return trip to that championship next month (though he was already safely in courtesy of his 2019 U.S. Am run).
Cohen Trolio hits his second shot from the fifth fairway during the final match at the 2021 U.S. Junior at The Country Club of North in Village of Pinehurst, N.C. on Saturday, July 24, 2021. (Chris Keane/USGA)
Dunlap’s spoils are on an entirely different level. Courtesy of his win, he’ll play the 2022 U.S. Open.
“It’s my first PGA Tour event, first major,” Dunlap said. “I’m sure I’m probably going to be this nervous or even more. As a 17 or — I don’t know if I’ll be 18 by then, it’s just going to be a learning experience for me, and I’m going to go into it with as much confidence as I can and play my game.”
At CCNC, Dunlap benefited from a caddie who has been on that stage. Jeff Curl, who played the 2012 U.S. Open at Olympic Club, proved to be a formidable partner when it came to navigating the match-play bracket.
“You know, more words than I could ever say to thank Jeff,” Dunlap said. “He’s been there through all my ups and downs. He’s taught me so many things. He had, gosh, 20, 40 times this week he would either call me off, different club, different read on a putt, and without him this week there’s no way I would be here.”
Already this year, Dunlap has won the Dustin Johnson Junior World Championship by two strokes, placed second in the Pete Dye Invitational, tied for second in the Wyndham Invitational and tied for fifth in the Western Junior. Interestingly, he’s a former national finalist in the NFL Punt, Pass & Kick competition.
Saturday, however, was on a different level. It will forever be the day that Dunlap became a USGA champion.
“I’ve won tournaments in the past, but nothing like this,” he said. “This is unbelievable. The setting of it, in Pinehurst, to win — hopefully maybe I can win and defend next year, but to win this year at Pinehurst on this golf course, I’ll remember it forever.”