By Tom Beattie
Emerging starlet Nick Dunlap responded to a slow start on the PGA Tour with a memorable hole-in-one at the 197-yard seventh hole at the Cognizant Classic.
The 20-year-old already wrote his name into the history books with his heroics at the The American Express as he became the first amateur since Phil Mickelson in 1991 to win on the PGA Tour. In pulling off the first feat of its kind in 33 years, this made him the youngest amateur to win on the circuit since Jordan Spieth.
A second-year student at the University of Alabama at the time of his milestone success, he has since decided to turn professional following his achievement in January. Still, his fairytale rise was curtailed somewhat as he finished last at Pebble Beach, while going on to miss the cut at the Genesis Invitational.
Demonstrating his mettle, though, the boy from Huntsville has responded in the best way possible in the second round in the Palm Beaches with an exquisitely-executed ace. Using an 8-iron on PGA National's par-3 seventh hole, he hit it some 175 yards, before the ball landed and rolled into the cup.
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His exploits duly helped him to rise up the leaderboard at the Cognizant Classic, to put him in contention in his third tournament on the American tour. Reflecting on the first hole-in-one of his professional career so far, Dunlap was understandably left beaming from ear to ear.
Speaking to reporters following yet another remarkable moment in his burgeoning rise to prominence, the world No. 68 said: "I loved a 7-iron for some reason, and Hunter convinced me to hit the 8. I don't know if you can hear it on the video, but I said right before, I'm like, 'Hey, 175 gets there, right?' He's like, 'Yep, it's perfect.' So all the credit goes to him on that one."
Already, this latest demonstration of his raw talent feels a world away from the prodigy's steady progress as one of America's biggest emerging hopes in the amateur game. Only in January, it was clear that Dunlap was still pinching himself as he weighed up becoming a pro, confessing he had 'no idea' about his future plans.
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"It's really cool to have that opportunity in the first place," he acknowledged, with his humility obvious. "Starting the week, if you would have said, 'Hey, in five days you're going to have a PGA Tour card, or an opportunity for two years,' I would have looked at you sideways."
"But that's something that it doesn't just affect me. It affects a lot of people Coach [Jay Seawell] back there, and my teammates and it's a conversation I need to have with a lot of people before I make that decision."
Speaking after his memorable winning putt on the 18th hole at the The American Express, he admitted to the sensation being 'nothing like' anything he's 'ever felt.' It was so cool to be out here and experience this as an amateur. Whether I had made that or missed that, if you would have told me (on) Wednesday night I would have a putt to win this golf tournament, I wouldn't believe you."
"Everybody's got doubts. I probably had a thousand different scenarios in my head of how today was going to go, and it went nothing like I expected. I think that was the cool part about it. That's golf."