Nick Dunlap started the day three shots behind. He ended it holding the trophy.
Dunlap, an incoming sophomore at Alabama, shot 3-under 66 (par 69) in the final round to complete his comeback and win the 61st Northeast Amateur at Wannamoisett Country Club in Rumford, Rhode Island. During Friday’s third round, Dunlap shot a 63 to get himself into the final pairing, and he took advantage, beating Tennessee sophomore Caleb Surratt by five shots on Saturday to win.
Dunlap and Surratt were tied heading into the 72nd hole, but Dunlap birdied while Surratt made bogey, a sour ending to a 2-over 71 in the final round. Dunlap, however, finished at 12-under 264 for a two-shot win.
Nick Dunlap wins the @NortheastAm pic.twitter.com/AytJY8kT2A
— Northeast Amateur (@NortheastAm) June 24, 2023
Florida State’s Luke Clanton finished third at 8 under while Brian Stark and Davis Bryant tied for fourth at 7 under. Dylan Menante, the 2022 champion, finished T-9 at 2 under.
Dunlap had a strong freshman season for the Crimson Tide, finishing 16th in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings and earning second-team All-America honors. He won the Linger Longer Invitational, finished T-4 at the NCAA Norman Regional and placed T-11 at the NCAA Championship. Dunlap even qualified for the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club’s North Course, where he missed the cut last week.
He has been playing his best golf as of late, and now he’s a Northeast Amateur champion, which should give him some strong momentum the rest of the summer and into his sophomore campaign.
The Northeast Amateur is the second of seven men’s events that are a part of the Elite Amateur Series. Up next is the 123rd North & South Amateur at Pinehurst in North Carolina from June 24-July 1.