CHERRY HILLS VILLAGE, Colo. — Nick Dunlap started his fist pump with the ball nearly 3 feet away from the hole.
But there was no question where it was going.
Dunlap had plenty of fist pumps Sunday, but none were bigger or more pivotal than his on the par-4 10th, when he buried a 20-foot birdie putt and essentially slammed the door on Neal Shipley. Dunlap’s putter was automatic, helping him clinch a 4-and-3 victory over Shipley in the 2023 U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills Country Club.
Dunlap, a 19-year-old rising sophomore at Alabama, has been the best male amateur in golf this summer, and he proved it at the biggest amateur event in the world.
The duo were tied after the morning 18, but Dunlap slowly pulled away as Shipley, a 22-year-old graduate student at Ohio State, made small mistakes. Dunlap won the 21st and 22nd holes in the afternoon session to take the lead for good, and his putter finished the job down the stretch.