In good Nick

Age is just a number in golf, whether you're a 20year-old amateur or a 65-year-old veteran

ON A SUNNY January afternoon at Palm Springs, California, a 20-yearold stood on the fairway of the 18th hole of the La Quinta Golf Club, contemplating the most important golf shot of his life. A few minutes earlier, Nick Dunlap - a sophomore at the University of Alabama - had flared his drive right, and the ball had come to rest just short of a mound in the first cut. Lucky to have a clear approach to the green Dunlap stood there, mulling over his options: he needed to hit a shot that would carry at least 200 yards to clear the greenside bunker, give him a realistic chance to save par, and win his first PGA Tour event. A daunting situation, to put it mildly.

Word had gotten around: the internet had been abuzz since the time Dunlap had teed it up for the final round at the 2024 American Express golf tournament. Around the world, golf fans watched from the edge of their seats, Dunlap pulled out an eight-iron and took aim.

In case you're wondering, the unprecedented interest in the tournament went beyond Dunlap and had little to do with the relevance of the event. It was about what Dunlap was on the cusp of achieving - a PGA Tour win by an amateur golfer - for the first time in 33 years.