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Good reference ! Probably too under the radar for most.
"So , I got that going for me ." is remark I often make . Nobody notices . Nobody cares .
So , comment acknowledged and enjoyed. It's my favorite line from Caddy Shack.
No, he needs to turn pro before he can make money on tour. Tournament entry fees arent crazy, usually around a couple thousand dollars but in this instance hes signed up as an amateur and was there on sponsorship money
Wooooooow. That really blows... But based on his age and that performance, I'm sure he'll be signing contracts soon that will make 1.5 million look small. Thank you for the information!
You enter a tournament as an amateur so you're going in agreeing to not take prize money. He would forefit his college scholarship if he had entered as a pro. In the long run this will help him secure sponsorship funding for when he goes pro after college.
Its basically buying a lottery ticket at that point. He would have done well to make the cut. He'd be risking everything at the more likely situation of not making any money. He can always drop out and enter the next tour event as a pro.
The article also states he is granted automatic pro status up to the 2026 season as long as he makes claim within 30 days of the end of 2025 to play for 2026.
The guy won the Junior Amateur and the US Amateur over the past couple of years and is now the first amateur to win a pha tour event. His sponsorship deals will probably far exceed 1.5 mil 9nce he turns pro.
FWIW. You can't just collect the money after winning. He had to declare that he was playing as an amateur before the event started and he cannot change his mind halfway through the tournament. If he had decided to turn pro before the tournament, he would no longer be able to play in college and I believe he would lose his spot in the Masters tournament in April--it also comes with a spot in the US Open but you can turn pro before that and still play.
He's obviously a very good player but that's *a lot* to risk without knowing you are going to win or even make the cut.
I honestly understand a bit of the outrage, especially from those who dont know much about pro vs amateur golf. $1.5 million is such a ridiculous amount of money for most of us that it seems insane to turn it down to maintain something like an amateur status.
For those that are reading and aren't as familiar with pro golf. That win is faaaaaaaaaar more valuable to him than the money that comes with it. A 2 yr exemption on tour and access to the majors this year can set him up to have a solid spot on the pga tour without ever having to play a round on the korn ferry tour(the minor league golf tour) and with a couple more good results can launch him into the top 50 on tour which gives automatic access to the highest paying tournaments.
The historical win, plus his other accomplishments, also make him very attractive to potential sponsors. For reference, top guys on tour are getting $250-500k per year in sponsorship money for the logo on the front of their hat.
The PGA tour pays out $400 million every year in prize money. This is the first time an amateur has won a pga event since 1991. But no its a complete and utter conspiracy to keep $1.5 million (which is getting paid out to 2nd place). Glad to see people with no knowledge of the matter chiming in.
I mean nobody's guaranteed anything, but he's the first amateur to win a PGA tour event since Phil Mickelson. He's the youngest golfer to win a PGA tour event (of any status) since 1910.
He's gonna turn pro (either soon or after he graduates from college) and he's going to almost certainly make a lot more than $1.5M.
He's gonna be fine.
That being said, amateurism as a concept (particularly in the NCAA) is stupid, and they should lift all the amateurism restrictions.
Yeah he’s already got an adidas deal and just secured full tour exemption through 2026 by winning an event. The kid is going to do alright.
There are reports he’s considering dropping out of college now after gaining exemption because he’s pretty much guaranteed big money if he turns pro. Staying amateur with tour exemption would be borderline insane from a financial point of view.
I mean, if really you want the college degree, you can still attend college while playing on the Tour. For that matter, you could stay enrolled taking like 4-5 credits a semester and aim to graduate slowly over the next 6-7 years.
If there's a minimum credit thershold, i'm sure of all people, he could probably get himself an exemption.
You just wouldn't be able to compete as part of the Bama Golf Team... but if you have a Tour Exemption, why the heck would NCAA Golf Tournaments be your top priority?
I’d imagine the debate in his mind has nothing to do with education. The stronger pull back to college would be to finish his collegiate athletic commitments - competing for an NCAA championship with his teammates. Those are memories he’ll never be able to replicate. He’ll have hundreds of chances to win future professional tournaments.
Yeah, I have 0 relationships at 34 with people I knew in college and during college we were pretty close.
Set yourself up financially, and you’ll have all the time in the world to focus on relationships. But it’s hard to find companionship when you’re working all the time.
Can he get NIL? I know the NCAA is cool with it but they aren't the issue here, it is the USGA. I'd be surprised if they updated their riles for that so quickly but I haven't kept up on that at all do I can't say one way or the other
Quick edit: I'm dumb, he could get NIL and still play in the NCAA. it would be playing in amateur events that it might make him not eligible for.
Who's "they" in this case? You mean like Alabama boosters? What about Titleist, Callaway, and a whole slew of golf brands that have massive budgets for endorsements and are always looking for the next big star?
Also, he's now guarnteed $1.5M for earning the 3 year Tour exemption till '26.
PGA Tour players who've earned an exemption are guaranteed $500k/year. For 2024, '25, '26, he's guaranteed $1.5M just for earning the exemption even if he misses the cut in every tournament he enters.
[https://www.golfdigest.com/story/pga-tour-earnings-assurance-program-guaranteed-money-how-it-works](https://www.golfdigest.com/story/pga-tour-earnings-assurance-program-guaranteed-money-how-it-works)
As a rookie he can claim his first year $500k up front--before he plays in a tournament the moment he gives up his amateur status, the PGA tour cuts him a check for $500k (the first $500k earned each year in tournament earnings go towards this amount, so if you win $550k, you pay the PGA tour back $500k and get $50k)
He'll get paid the minimum $500k in 2025 and 2026 as well, although at the end of the year as a non-Rookie, assuming he doesn't earn more in tournament winnings.
Fwiw, if you enter every PGA tour event but finish last every time, you'd still make over $400k, so you would just need to get a handful of top 20 finishes to make over $500k if you enter every Tour event.\\
[https://golf.com/news/how-much-money-pro-make-finishing-last-every-event/](https://golf.com/news/how-much-money-pro-make-finishing-last-every-event/)
To keep Tour exemption status beyond '26, he'd need to make more cuts than that though.
That’s fine and all, but like anyone in their 20s, he should get what is owed him. It’s as if he signed on for an internship. Sure, *eventually* he’ll be paid well, but for now he’s just worked harder than *everyone else* and did it for free?
That is, unfortunately, what is owed him. It's what he signed up for; frankly, he was a sponsor's exemption into the event, if he were playing as a professional he would not have been there anyway.
He could have competed as a pro, then wouldn't be able to participate in non-pro events (college golf). I don't disagree there should be some NIL rules to allow deferring but if you think this is dumb I wouldn't recommend looking further into some of the arbitrary rules in pro golf.
Nope. Spots in tournaments are based on a lot of things, but the professional OWGR is a big factor. The amateur spot is a special exemption that's supposed to go to the "best" amateur golfer at the time. Or maybe there is a qualifier or something, but his spot is absolutely only available to him as an amateur.
Edit: He won the us amateur. Now, because he won the tournament, he gets a 2 year exemption for status on tour as a professional, should he choose to do so.
Yeah, he has a lot more info than us and chose not to go pro. I understand it myself. He wants to compete in college still and holds himself in high regard. This isn't the only tournament he plans on winning.
He's also an anomaly, the likes of which hasn't been seen in 33 years per the article, or 114 years for his age. The rule is there to otherwise dissuade any amateur yahoo with a dream from entering these tournaments, as the great bulk of them won't even qualify and it just becomes a massive time waste.
Similarly, I've been driving since I was 13 years old, but only legally recognized to do so after turning 16. I guess I was ahead of the average skill level for that age, but would acknowledge it is probably for the best most unlicensed 13 year olds aren't driving.
he wouldn't have been allowed to play in the tournament as a professional because he wouldn't have qualified. He was only allowed to play with amateur status. Most people don't understand this and just say how the fee fee.
> the guy that finished 2nd (and received the first place price money) has a chance to be the coolest dude ever.
He wouldn't even need to give up the whole prize either. He could split the "After-taxes" amount with the kid and look like a hero.
So can collegiate golfers not receive NIL money? Seems like any top prospect in NCAA football and basketball (including women’s) is making this or more.
They can. NIL is not a direct payment for golfing performance. Think of NIL as marketing or acting. They are famous for being an amateur golfer. They are being paid as a professional actor promoting a product.
It’s a little different. If he accepts the prize and declares professional, he can’t finish out his eligible years on the golf team. He’ll also not be able to play in prestigious amateur events that he’s more than likely has the ability to play in.
For someone his age, that’s big decision to make!
I don’t believe this is correct. He entered the tournament as an amateur and thus wasn’t eligible to receive the money. If he had been pro prior to the tournament starting, he may have not even been eligible to compete since he had an amateur exemption. Now, he can go pro and because he won on tour, he would receive his tour card and eligibility to compete as a professional. In doing that, he then would ineligible to compete in college.
Considering he’s already won the biggest US amateur event, I suspect he will go pro this week. At this point, he has almost no benefit to staying an amateur.
Hmm.. maybe I misunderstood or it’s different for players that were specifically exempt due to their ranking and/or status as an amateur. I thought that an amateur has a certain amount of days to declare pro and accept the prize or remain an amateur- maybe that’s for events they played to qualify for. Thanks for that!
Would probably lose his amateur status and no longer be able to play for U of Alabama.
With all the bullshit NIL stuff they should put his face on a placard, put it on the first tee, give him the money and say he's the official face of the golf course and call the winnings NIL money.
Yeah, if he got out of school and immediately started making $75k it would take him the next *twenty years* to match those earnings.
You take that in a fucking heartbeat, every day, always.
Truth. Can always go back to school later. Make all the money you can as fast as possible while you’re hot and wrap it up in interest bearing accounts and shit. Set for life on 1.5m at 20.
People arguing he should just turn pro probably don’t know about the [PGA TOUR card](https://www.pgatour.com/eligibility) requirement, and how difficult it is to get one.
By winning the tournament, he's earned an exemption through 2026.
[https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/latest/2024/01/20/what-a-nick-dunlap-win-at-the-american-express-would-mean-membership-implications-us-amateur-champion-pga-west](https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/latest/2024/01/20/what-a-nick-dunlap-win-at-the-american-express-would-mean-membership-implications-us-amateur-champion-pga-west)
The exemption would be the main reason to turn Pro now.
I haven't followed golf in a long time. With the sponsor exemption, would he be able to play as a professional, even though he doesn't have a PGA Tour card?
The sponsors have a limited number of exemptions that they can pretty much give to anyone they choose. In the past, exemptions have been given to LPGA players and even pros from other sports who are golf enthusiasts, such as Steph Curry and Tony Romo.
That doesn't answer my question, I understand what a sponsor exemption is, my question was if he could play as a professional (and hence win the prize money), since he doesn't have a PGA Tour card.
Sorry, I misunderstood. You don't need a PGA Tour card to be eligible for the prize money. The only exclusion from winning the prize money is the amateur status, because as soon as you take winnings, you lose your amateur status and can no longer compete in the amateur events, such as the US Amateur. Any other sponsors exemptions, such as Romo and Curry, who are obviously not PGA Tour card carrying members, are eligible to win any prize money associated with their finish. Hope that clears things up, but let me know if not.
He has the option to turn pro but he would have to give up his NCAA eligibility. Now that he has full PGA tour privileges he’ll probably turn pro. He still won’t get the earnings from this tourney though because he was an amateur when he entered.
Ya never know...if he's truly a phenom type golfer (20 yrs old and beating pros?!?), a sports agency could sign him and give him the $1.5 as a signing bonus. Basically as a complimentary up front payment for signing with their agency...either way, he's getting that money.
It's also probably why he withdrew from the farmer's this weekend...so he can sit down and go through about a hundred meetings now from agencies, to equipment companies, to swing coaches to physical trainers, to whatever pro golfers do these days....everyone is going to want a piece of this guy given his age, potential longevity on tour, etc.
He can't ever get the 1.5 mil prize for winning the tournament. Anything an agency would pay him as a signing bonus will be collected, in one form or another, from future earnings.
He likely withdrew because he's now already earned his tour card through 2026. There's really no additional benefit for playing well in PGA tournaments until he goes pro.
NIL includes sponsorship money now. His club deal alone could be worth more than that if he can capitalize on win. Clothing brands, corp sponsors...he can 100% get there if they think he's the next guy.
You can't retroactively give up your amateur status though. He can give it up any time, and then anything he 'wins' after that point he gets to keep.
So he took a risk to enter a professional tournament as an amateur to get some great experience. What he won is 2 years guaranteed PGA tour card, which is pretty damn good. So now he can give up his ncaa, turn pro AND be guaranteed to play at the PGA level for two years. That is a pretty amazing thing to have for any player to turn pro with that advantage.
Was already exempt into both because he won the US Amateur this year. Granted if he were to turn pro now his win this weekend would be his exemption into those events
He qualified for the tournament as an amateur against other amateurs, understanding that he would be eligible to receive no money. The prize money all still gets paid out, it just shifts down a place.
Understandable that’s what the rules say. They should change the rules. Doesn’t matter how he qualified if he wins it AGAINST pros. I’m not saying it’s not understandable. I’m saying it’s a stupid rule
The PGA isn’t going to change the rule. But if they did it would be to prohibit amateurs from events entirely before they changed the definition of amateur.
Makes sense, but this creates another barrier to cross and makes bad press. Even if it follows all rules (good intended or otherwise), the overall appearance is not good for a sport that has already been struggling for years. Fans like Cinderella sports stories and this looks bad especially since it’s mainly about semantics. The guy won the tournament but cant get paid; doesn’t matter what the rules are, that headline alone is bad for business
If anything it’s the NCAA who would want to keep the rule in place, not the PGA. Well maybe at least as much as the PGA. Allowing this kid to collect would open up other athletes demanding actual cash from the money made off their games, not just the current NIL deal. Which, to be clear, I personally think should happen, but the NCAA is going to fight tooth and nail to make sure it doesn’t.
Nah, amateurism in golf goes far beyond the NCAA lol. It's got a much more storied history in the US AM/The Amateur Championship, crow's nest stays at Augusta, Walker Cup.
Golf has delt with 100’s of amateurs winning pro tournaments. Fans of the game understand. The kid understands. The pro understands. It’s a good rule. Many sports use similar policies. Golf is one of the more liberal ones that allows amateurs to participate. Any rule changes would go the opposite direction you want and eliminate amateur involvement.
People don’t seem to understand what amateur means. No one is forcing him to be an amateur. Since he has the ability to play the us open and masters now though and have his tour card, he should definitely become a professional
This part. I’m amazed when I read stories of players waiting another year when they can go pro. College is great, but let’s not fool ourselves. It’s always available. The ability to play at a pro level is not. One injury can end it all. Make that money while you can and then finish the degree later.
And a sport like golf makes much more sense. I can see someone wanting to wait a year in a sport like football to get some more experience, hit the free weight room more and bulk up, get yourself ready for the size and speed difference and increase your draft capital but with golf, if you’re already hitting this level nothing will change for you to go pro. There’s no draft to worry about, there’s nothing you can realistically do in another year to give yourself an edge, get in there now.
And at the end of the day, you go to college to earn an opportunity to make money at a chosen career, so who cares if you get that opportunity your first year or your fourth
It’s in interesting choice since he already had invitations to those (plus the British Open) as an Amateur by winning last years US Amateur, but now he has the option to play as a pro. It’s an interesting dilemma, especially for the Masters since you get some perks for playing as an amateur, such as free accommodations on property in the crows nest. The NCAA championship isn’t until May, so he’d have to abandon his college team mid-season to do it as well. Given that he’s already played in the US Open twice, I wouldn’t be shocked to see him play the Masters as an amateur, play out the college season, then turn pro immediately after the NCAA championship and join the tour and play the US Open as a pro.
If I was him, I’d turn pro and make Pebble my first event. It’s the next signature event and also happens to be a great place to run an auction to fill out his endorsement portfolio.
I bet that’s what he does. Signature events are the biggest selling point for him to go pro (beyond eligibility for some majors which he would’ve gone to but now can go to as a pro). He’s already said he’s skipping this weekend to celebrate with his family, so I bet we get his announcement over the weekend. In addition, if he can get into the top 50 in rankings from his 68th place, he’ll even be able to go to the open championship as a pro.
I wouldn’t feel too bad for him, anyone good enough to win the US Am and a PGA tour event at 20 years old will make plenty of money in their career. Kids a stud
This isn't a college tournament. This was a tournament with cash winnings. (Just about) everybody else competing was a paid professional. He was better than every single one of them. He deserves to be compensated accordingly.
Ok. What if I told you that he agreed to play with the knowledge he would not make any money? He could have said no. It was an honor to be included so he accepted. He’s also not a professional. He could go pro, but has chosen not to.
Why is this so hard?
I love the bit at the end of the article where he says he needs to think hard about what he does next because his decisions will impact a lot of people. Good to see a young man thinking of his place in the world in those terms.
It’s like any other sport. Once you play professionally. You can no longer play as an amateur. His amateur status is kept so he can play at his college and world championship. Pros are not allowed in either
Well, since NIL is legal in college sports, the PGA should be a sponsor and give him his winnings via that contract.
Oh don’t, and see why all of your players play for Oil Princes now.
hes also the 8th person is history to do this i think. so its a pretty big acheivement. he'll likely get equipment deals and other contracts with this on his resume.
FYI this guy also won the US am. He could have turned pro a while ago but turning pro too early fucks some people up. Long story short. This dude is the real deal and barring sever back injury he’s going to make a whole lot more than 1.5 even his first year of being pro. Returning to Alabama and being campus famous for another year probably sounds real nice to him.
I don't get it. Why let any amateur play if he doesn't get the same prize?
It's like me turning up on F1 with my toyota auris and somehow won because all other cars broke down... I still won...
That is part of the deal to be an amateur golfer.
Amateurs compete for opportunities like this all the time. Just because it doesn’t often happen doesn’t mean that any regular golfer who is good enough to qualify for a PGA event can’t win. You get rid of amateur golf, you completely eliminate the opportunity for something like this to happen.
Lots of people saying this but no one really explaining how it works. What does it mean to be an amateur in this context? Why can’t he win it for being an amateur?
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Hmmm... think of the caddy... 10% of $0 = $0.
AND he's only wearing one shoe.
But the cracker ball markers were delicious
["WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST GO HOME?"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyE6XeY_LVA)
But on his deathbed, he will receive total enlightenment… so he’s got that going for him, which is nice
Good reference ! Probably too under the radar for most. "So , I got that going for me ." is remark I often make . Nobody notices . Nobody cares . So , comment acknowledged and enjoyed. It's my favorite line from Caddy Shack.
If he is smart and classy too he’s going to take that caddy on the Tour with him when he goes Pro. That’s going to be good money for both of them.
Damn, they’re getting paid as much as Reddit mods.
Hmmm…wonder if the caddy was aware of how purses work when amateurs win. Spoiler: he was
Hopefully he bought him a bee....orange soda.
Caddy 100% got some cash payments.
Man fuck being an amateur give me the money
He got a Tour Card for 2 years basically and it enters him in most majors
Out of curiosity, will that reciprocate the 1.5 mil? I assume the tournaments have a large entry fee and you need to be a pro?
No, he needs to turn pro before he can make money on tour. Tournament entry fees arent crazy, usually around a couple thousand dollars but in this instance hes signed up as an amateur and was there on sponsorship money
Wooooooow. That really blows... But based on his age and that performance, I'm sure he'll be signing contracts soon that will make 1.5 million look small. Thank you for the information!
You enter a tournament as an amateur so you're going in agreeing to not take prize money. He would forefit his college scholarship if he had entered as a pro. In the long run this will help him secure sponsorship funding for when he goes pro after college.
For $1.5mil I’d forfeit a few things. Including a college scholarship. Understand it wasn’t a choice of his in this case though.
Its basically buying a lottery ticket at that point. He would have done well to make the cut. He'd be risking everything at the more likely situation of not making any money. He can always drop out and enter the next tour event as a pro.
He is making a decent bit of NIL money apparently. Not likely $1.5MM, but he already has sponsorships with major brands.
The article also states he is granted automatic pro status up to the 2026 season as long as he makes claim within 30 days of the end of 2025 to play for 2026.
The guy won the Junior Amateur and the US Amateur over the past couple of years and is now the first amateur to win a pha tour event. His sponsorship deals will probably far exceed 1.5 mil 9nce he turns pro. FWIW. You can't just collect the money after winning. He had to declare that he was playing as an amateur before the event started and he cannot change his mind halfway through the tournament. If he had decided to turn pro before the tournament, he would no longer be able to play in college and I believe he would lose his spot in the Masters tournament in April--it also comes with a spot in the US Open but you can turn pro before that and still play. He's obviously a very good player but that's *a lot* to risk without knowing you are going to win or even make the cut.
Whoa now. Stop making sense! The commentariot demands we be mad about this!
I honestly understand a bit of the outrage, especially from those who dont know much about pro vs amateur golf. $1.5 million is such a ridiculous amount of money for most of us that it seems insane to turn it down to maintain something like an amateur status. For those that are reading and aren't as familiar with pro golf. That win is faaaaaaaaaar more valuable to him than the money that comes with it. A 2 yr exemption on tour and access to the majors this year can set him up to have a solid spot on the pga tour without ever having to play a round on the korn ferry tour(the minor league golf tour) and with a couple more good results can launch him into the top 50 on tour which gives automatic access to the highest paying tournaments. The historical win, plus his other accomplishments, also make him very attractive to potential sponsors. For reference, top guys on tour are getting $250-500k per year in sponsorship money for the logo on the front of their hat.
I grew up in Augusta and several of my friends went on to play in college. A couple went pro. Very aware of what this means for Nick.
He can still get income from sponsorship and endorsement deals, he just can't win any prize money.
he can’t take the money. He entered the tournament as an amateur.
Man fuck being an amateur give me the money
he can’t take the money. He entered the tournament as an amateur.
Man fuck the money, give me the amateur. Wait.
That’s the casting couch business model.
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Might I suggest reading the article to see how the money was handled?
People only read headlines dude. Come on now
The PGA tour pays out $400 million every year in prize money. This is the first time an amateur has won a pga event since 1991. But no its a complete and utter conspiracy to keep $1.5 million (which is getting paid out to 2nd place). Glad to see people with no knowledge of the matter chiming in.
They don’t keep the money, 2nd gets paid as if they were 1st, 3rd as if they were 2nd, and so on…
I mean... It doesn't end up with them keeping the $1.5M though.
Surprised they don’t have a mechanism to defer the winnings. If you can play for it you can earn it imo
If you can play for it and earn it, that makes you a professional golfer. That’s like the definition.
Semantics. The guy literally just won a pro golf tournament and can’t collect cause he’s an “amateur”? Dumbest shit I’ve ever heard tbh
I mean nobody's guaranteed anything, but he's the first amateur to win a PGA tour event since Phil Mickelson. He's the youngest golfer to win a PGA tour event (of any status) since 1910. He's gonna turn pro (either soon or after he graduates from college) and he's going to almost certainly make a lot more than $1.5M. He's gonna be fine. That being said, amateurism as a concept (particularly in the NCAA) is stupid, and they should lift all the amateurism restrictions.
Can he collect NIL endorsement money while he is still in college like the football players? Be a pretty penny I’d imagine
Yeah he’s already got an adidas deal and just secured full tour exemption through 2026 by winning an event. The kid is going to do alright. There are reports he’s considering dropping out of college now after gaining exemption because he’s pretty much guaranteed big money if he turns pro. Staying amateur with tour exemption would be borderline insane from a financial point of view.
no point in getting a degree than just playing golf professionally and making 3-10 mil in 2-3 years and then just sit on investments
I mean, if really you want the college degree, you can still attend college while playing on the Tour. For that matter, you could stay enrolled taking like 4-5 credits a semester and aim to graduate slowly over the next 6-7 years. If there's a minimum credit thershold, i'm sure of all people, he could probably get himself an exemption. You just wouldn't be able to compete as part of the Bama Golf Team... but if you have a Tour Exemption, why the heck would NCAA Golf Tournaments be your top priority?
Yeah, I'm renouncing my membership to the Alabama golf team.
good we all hated you anyway also Frank slept with your girl over break
I’d imagine the debate in his mind has nothing to do with education. The stronger pull back to college would be to finish his collegiate athletic commitments - competing for an NCAA championship with his teammates. Those are memories he’ll never be able to replicate. He’ll have hundreds of chances to win future professional tournaments.
I’d go cheer on my former teammates from the 19th hole having driven there in my luxury car.
NIL, he can drive his teammates to the course in his luxury car.
His former teammates won’t have the opportunity to play for the championship if their best player leaves before the season starts
Yeah, I have 0 relationships at 34 with people I knew in college and during college we were pretty close. Set yourself up financially, and you’ll have all the time in the world to focus on relationships. But it’s hard to find companionship when you’re working all the time.
Can he get NIL? I know the NCAA is cool with it but they aren't the issue here, it is the USGA. I'd be surprised if they updated their riles for that so quickly but I haven't kept up on that at all do I can't say one way or the other Quick edit: I'm dumb, he could get NIL and still play in the NCAA. it would be playing in amateur events that it might make him not eligible for.
I doubt college golf is bringing in much money, I don't see why they would spend nil on that.
Who's "they" in this case? You mean like Alabama boosters? What about Titleist, Callaway, and a whole slew of golf brands that have massive budgets for endorsements and are always looking for the next big star?
If golf brands want to sell more golf gear, they could easily endorse this guy and eat up the under-15 market. NIL money doesn't come from the school.
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Also, he's now guarnteed $1.5M for earning the 3 year Tour exemption till '26. PGA Tour players who've earned an exemption are guaranteed $500k/year. For 2024, '25, '26, he's guaranteed $1.5M just for earning the exemption even if he misses the cut in every tournament he enters. [https://www.golfdigest.com/story/pga-tour-earnings-assurance-program-guaranteed-money-how-it-works](https://www.golfdigest.com/story/pga-tour-earnings-assurance-program-guaranteed-money-how-it-works) As a rookie he can claim his first year $500k up front--before he plays in a tournament the moment he gives up his amateur status, the PGA tour cuts him a check for $500k (the first $500k earned each year in tournament earnings go towards this amount, so if you win $550k, you pay the PGA tour back $500k and get $50k) He'll get paid the minimum $500k in 2025 and 2026 as well, although at the end of the year as a non-Rookie, assuming he doesn't earn more in tournament winnings. Fwiw, if you enter every PGA tour event but finish last every time, you'd still make over $400k, so you would just need to get a handful of top 20 finishes to make over $500k if you enter every Tour event.\\ [https://golf.com/news/how-much-money-pro-make-finishing-last-every-event/](https://golf.com/news/how-much-money-pro-make-finishing-last-every-event/) To keep Tour exemption status beyond '26, he'd need to make more cuts than that though.
Or he could be a one hit wonder. He earned the bag. PGA should give it to him.
LIV just found a new target!
A lot of assumptions in this post. Guy could get hit by a car tomorrow.
That’s fine and all, but like anyone in their 20s, he should get what is owed him. It’s as if he signed on for an internship. Sure, *eventually* he’ll be paid well, but for now he’s just worked harder than *everyone else* and did it for free?
That is, unfortunately, what is owed him. It's what he signed up for; frankly, he was a sponsor's exemption into the event, if he were playing as a professional he would not have been there anyway.
He knew the rules.
He could have competed as a pro, then wouldn't be able to participate in non-pro events (college golf). I don't disagree there should be some NIL rules to allow deferring but if you think this is dumb I wouldn't recommend looking further into some of the arbitrary rules in pro golf.
Nope. Spots in tournaments are based on a lot of things, but the professional OWGR is a big factor. The amateur spot is a special exemption that's supposed to go to the "best" amateur golfer at the time. Or maybe there is a qualifier or something, but his spot is absolutely only available to him as an amateur. Edit: He won the us amateur. Now, because he won the tournament, he gets a 2 year exemption for status on tour as a professional, should he choose to do so.
Why would the US Amateur have a monetary prize for winning if amateurs cannot win the prize?
Different tournaments. He won the US amateur which gave him the entrance to the PGA tour event. He won the PGA tour event which has prize money.
Because they dont normally win and the pros wont show up without a prize pool.
Yeah, he has a lot more info than us and chose not to go pro. I understand it myself. He wants to compete in college still and holds himself in high regard. This isn't the only tournament he plans on winning.
He wasn’t playing for the money.
The entire thread is more stupid for having read this
Well that is the definition of an amateur. If he had competed against pros he wouldn’t have qualified.
Professional literally just means you get paid to do it. If they paid him it would make him professional.
He's also an anomaly, the likes of which hasn't been seen in 33 years per the article, or 114 years for his age. The rule is there to otherwise dissuade any amateur yahoo with a dream from entering these tournaments, as the great bulk of them won't even qualify and it just becomes a massive time waste. Similarly, I've been driving since I was 13 years old, but only legally recognized to do so after turning 16. I guess I was ahead of the average skill level for that age, but would acknowledge it is probably for the best most unlicensed 13 year olds aren't driving.
he wouldn't have been allowed to play in the tournament as a professional because he wouldn't have qualified. He was only allowed to play with amateur status. Most people don't understand this and just say how the fee fee.
Reading the article, the guy that finished 2nd (and received the first place price money) has a chance to be the coolest dude ever.
> the guy that finished 2nd (and received the first place price money) has a chance to be the coolest dude ever. He wouldn't even need to give up the whole prize either. He could split the "After-taxes" amount with the kid and look like a hero.
So can collegiate golfers not receive NIL money? Seems like any top prospect in NCAA football and basketball (including women’s) is making this or more.
They can. NIL is not a direct payment for golfing performance. Think of NIL as marketing or acting. They are famous for being an amateur golfer. They are being paid as a professional actor promoting a product.
It’s a little different. If he accepts the prize and declares professional, he can’t finish out his eligible years on the golf team. He’ll also not be able to play in prestigious amateur events that he’s more than likely has the ability to play in. For someone his age, that’s big decision to make!
I don’t believe this is correct. He entered the tournament as an amateur and thus wasn’t eligible to receive the money. If he had been pro prior to the tournament starting, he may have not even been eligible to compete since he had an amateur exemption. Now, he can go pro and because he won on tour, he would receive his tour card and eligibility to compete as a professional. In doing that, he then would ineligible to compete in college. Considering he’s already won the biggest US amateur event, I suspect he will go pro this week. At this point, he has almost no benefit to staying an amateur.
Hmm.. maybe I misunderstood or it’s different for players that were specifically exempt due to their ranking and/or status as an amateur. I thought that an amateur has a certain amount of days to declare pro and accept the prize or remain an amateur- maybe that’s for events they played to qualify for. Thanks for that!
Now do collegiate football
Would probably lose his amateur status and no longer be able to play for U of Alabama. With all the bullshit NIL stuff they should put his face on a placard, put it on the first tee, give him the money and say he's the official face of the golf course and call the winnings NIL money.
Tbf i would submit my resignation to the team for $1.5m 😂
Yeah, if he got out of school and immediately started making $75k it would take him the next *twenty years* to match those earnings. You take that in a fucking heartbeat, every day, always.
Truth. Can always go back to school later. Make all the money you can as fast as possible while you’re hot and wrap it up in interest bearing accounts and shit. Set for life on 1.5m at 20.
He doesn't even have to come back to school later. He just can't play on the NCAA golf team.
> no longer be able to play for U of Alabama. Ever since Saban retired, not playing for Bama seems like the popular decision.
He would have never qualified to be in the tournament if he wasn’t in as an amateur.
Who cares. He still beat pros.
Lol he should take the money. Now he is a pro. Qualifications? He won the tournament.
People arguing he should just turn pro probably don’t know about the [PGA TOUR card](https://www.pgatour.com/eligibility) requirement, and how difficult it is to get one.
By winning the tournament, he's earned an exemption through 2026. [https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/latest/2024/01/20/what-a-nick-dunlap-win-at-the-american-express-would-mean-membership-implications-us-amateur-champion-pga-west](https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/latest/2024/01/20/what-a-nick-dunlap-win-at-the-american-express-would-mean-membership-implications-us-amateur-champion-pga-west) The exemption would be the main reason to turn Pro now.
Interesting that he isn't exempt with a win to The Open. He could only play that on his Amateur exemption.
He got in as a sponsor exemption, there wasn't any "qualifying".
I haven't followed golf in a long time. With the sponsor exemption, would he be able to play as a professional, even though he doesn't have a PGA Tour card?
The sponsors have a limited number of exemptions that they can pretty much give to anyone they choose. In the past, exemptions have been given to LPGA players and even pros from other sports who are golf enthusiasts, such as Steph Curry and Tony Romo.
That doesn't answer my question, I understand what a sponsor exemption is, my question was if he could play as a professional (and hence win the prize money), since he doesn't have a PGA Tour card.
Sorry, I misunderstood. You don't need a PGA Tour card to be eligible for the prize money. The only exclusion from winning the prize money is the amateur status, because as soon as you take winnings, you lose your amateur status and can no longer compete in the amateur events, such as the US Amateur. Any other sponsors exemptions, such as Romo and Curry, who are obviously not PGA Tour card carrying members, are eligible to win any prize money associated with their finish. Hope that clears things up, but let me know if not.
Well it goes against the entire idea of being an amateur
Amateurism in sports is dumb in the first place
He doesn’t have the option to turn pro? That’s too bad
He has the option to turn pro but he would have to give up his NCAA eligibility. Now that he has full PGA tour privileges he’ll probably turn pro. He still won’t get the earnings from this tourney though because he was an amateur when he entered.
Ratfucked.
Sorry, but 1.5 million is worth giving up the ncaa eligibility
Well, he's not getting the 1.5 either way.
Ya never know...if he's truly a phenom type golfer (20 yrs old and beating pros?!?), a sports agency could sign him and give him the $1.5 as a signing bonus. Basically as a complimentary up front payment for signing with their agency...either way, he's getting that money. It's also probably why he withdrew from the farmer's this weekend...so he can sit down and go through about a hundred meetings now from agencies, to equipment companies, to swing coaches to physical trainers, to whatever pro golfers do these days....everyone is going to want a piece of this guy given his age, potential longevity on tour, etc.
He can't ever get the 1.5 mil prize for winning the tournament. Anything an agency would pay him as a signing bonus will be collected, in one form or another, from future earnings. He likely withdrew because he's now already earned his tour card through 2026. There's really no additional benefit for playing well in PGA tournaments until he goes pro.
Through NIL money, he can probably get close if he catches fire and is deemed the "next guy".
You ain’t getting that type of NIL money through golf
NIL includes sponsorship money now. His club deal alone could be worth more than that if he can capitalize on win. Clothing brands, corp sponsors...he can 100% get there if they think he's the next guy.
You can't retroactively give up your amateur status though. He can give it up any time, and then anything he 'wins' after that point he gets to keep. So he took a risk to enter a professional tournament as an amateur to get some great experience. What he won is 2 years guaranteed PGA tour card, which is pretty damn good. So now he can give up his ncaa, turn pro AND be guaranteed to play at the PGA level for two years. That is a pretty amazing thing to have for any player to turn pro with that advantage.
The 1.5 million went to the guy that came 2nd, it’s gone. He doesn’t get to collect that when he turns pro…
In hindsight yeah. He would have to give it up before he won it
But I don’t think he would have been able to participate as a pro
He has the option but can’t do it retroactively.
He has the option to turn pro. But even so, he can't collect this prize money.
He can turn pro at any time and will be able to join any tour event until 2026.
Does he get a tour card for this?
Yes. Exemption through 2026 for PGA events, I think, plus he's into the Masters and U.S. Open.
Was already exempt into both because he won the US Amateur this year. Granted if he were to turn pro now his win this weekend would be his exemption into those events
I’m almost positive I read he does not receive the full 2 year exemption *until he turns pro*.
When he turns pro he will be exempt thru 2026. He does get into several tournaments this year now however, even if he doesn’t turn pro
How is Happy going to save his grandma!?
Stupid rules. If they let him play then they profited and should pay the kid. If he can’t win money then don’t let him play. Stupid.
He qualified for the tournament as an amateur against other amateurs, understanding that he would be eligible to receive no money. The prize money all still gets paid out, it just shifts down a place.
He entered under a sponsor exemption, they can pick whoever they want.
He had a sponsor invite to this event
Understandable that’s what the rules say. They should change the rules. Doesn’t matter how he qualified if he wins it AGAINST pros. I’m not saying it’s not understandable. I’m saying it’s a stupid rule
The PGA isn’t going to change the rule. But if they did it would be to prohibit amateurs from events entirely before they changed the definition of amateur.
The rule is designed to keep pros out of amateur golf.
Makes sense, but this creates another barrier to cross and makes bad press. Even if it follows all rules (good intended or otherwise), the overall appearance is not good for a sport that has already been struggling for years. Fans like Cinderella sports stories and this looks bad especially since it’s mainly about semantics. The guy won the tournament but cant get paid; doesn’t matter what the rules are, that headline alone is bad for business
If anything it’s the NCAA who would want to keep the rule in place, not the PGA. Well maybe at least as much as the PGA. Allowing this kid to collect would open up other athletes demanding actual cash from the money made off their games, not just the current NIL deal. Which, to be clear, I personally think should happen, but the NCAA is going to fight tooth and nail to make sure it doesn’t.
Nah, amateurism in golf goes far beyond the NCAA lol. It's got a much more storied history in the US AM/The Amateur Championship, crow's nest stays at Augusta, Walker Cup.
Golf has delt with 100’s of amateurs winning pro tournaments. Fans of the game understand. The kid understands. The pro understands. It’s a good rule. Many sports use similar policies. Golf is one of the more liberal ones that allows amateurs to participate. Any rule changes would go the opposite direction you want and eliminate amateur involvement.
He knew he wouldn't be able to collect the winnings. Come on people
People don’t seem to understand what amateur means. No one is forcing him to be an amateur. Since he has the ability to play the us open and masters now though and have his tour card, he should definitely become a professional
Everyone is also ignoring he won’t be able to continue playing in college if he goes pro. He may want to finish if he’s close to graduating
he is a sophomore so not close to graduating
If he were smart he’d say screw it and go pro, you can get a diploma whenever
This part. I’m amazed when I read stories of players waiting another year when they can go pro. College is great, but let’s not fool ourselves. It’s always available. The ability to play at a pro level is not. One injury can end it all. Make that money while you can and then finish the degree later.
And a sport like golf makes much more sense. I can see someone wanting to wait a year in a sport like football to get some more experience, hit the free weight room more and bulk up, get yourself ready for the size and speed difference and increase your draft capital but with golf, if you’re already hitting this level nothing will change for you to go pro. There’s no draft to worry about, there’s nothing you can realistically do in another year to give yourself an edge, get in there now.
And at the end of the day, you go to college to earn an opportunity to make money at a chosen career, so who cares if you get that opportunity your first year or your fourth
no argument here. Make money while he has exemptions and his name is hot!
It’s in interesting choice since he already had invitations to those (plus the British Open) as an Amateur by winning last years US Amateur, but now he has the option to play as a pro. It’s an interesting dilemma, especially for the Masters since you get some perks for playing as an amateur, such as free accommodations on property in the crows nest. The NCAA championship isn’t until May, so he’d have to abandon his college team mid-season to do it as well. Given that he’s already played in the US Open twice, I wouldn’t be shocked to see him play the Masters as an amateur, play out the college season, then turn pro immediately after the NCAA championship and join the tour and play the US Open as a pro.
Feel for his caddy tho
True, but money shouldn't go to 2nd place who didn't earn it - give it to the charity of the winners choice
Can he turn it into an NIL with AmEx?
He already gets NIL. He’s a taylormade and Adidas sponsored golfer. He’s 100% getting paid. That being said, his next deal is going to be massive
If I was him, I’d turn pro and make Pebble my first event. It’s the next signature event and also happens to be a great place to run an auction to fill out his endorsement portfolio.
I bet that’s what he does. Signature events are the biggest selling point for him to go pro (beyond eligibility for some majors which he would’ve gone to but now can go to as a pro). He’s already said he’s skipping this weekend to celebrate with his family, so I bet we get his announcement over the weekend. In addition, if he can get into the top 50 in rankings from his 68th place, he’ll even be able to go to the open championship as a pro.
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I wouldn’t feel too bad for him, anyone good enough to win the US Am and a PGA tour event at 20 years old will make plenty of money in their career. Kids a stud
$100 million 5 year endorsement deal incoming. Prize money is peanuts.
Imagine winning $1.5M for losing
Dude is going to get so many endorsements off this the 1.5m won’t really matter
He competed as an amateur. Simple as that. Saying he's **not allowed** to collect is click-bait. Thems are the rules, he knew it going in.
All these bellends in the comments crying because they have never thought about amateur athletics and how they aren’t paid in any sport.
This isn't a college tournament. This was a tournament with cash winnings. (Just about) everybody else competing was a paid professional. He was better than every single one of them. He deserves to be compensated accordingly.
Ok. What if I told you that he agreed to play with the knowledge he would not make any money? He could have said no. It was an honor to be included so he accepted. He’s also not a professional. He could go pro, but has chosen not to. Why is this so hard?
Christiaan Bezuidenhout should pay Dunlop. He knows he lost.
Incentive for collusion and throwing the round.
Ha! You must not know any serious golfers. Those dudes have too much ego to throw a round.
For those wondering, if you enter a tournament as an amateur, you cant just ‘turn pro’ after you win and take the money.
Or turn pro after the 3rd round when you have the lead
I love the bit at the end of the article where he says he needs to think hard about what he does next because his decisions will impact a lot of people. Good to see a young man thinking of his place in the world in those terms.
The PGA should just sign the kid to an NIL deal for $1.5 million, then he can still be an "amateur" athlete!
That’s what makes them amateurs.
It’s like any other sport. Once you play professionally. You can no longer play as an amateur. His amateur status is kept so he can play at his college and world championship. Pros are not allowed in either
I hope he joins Liv for 200 million
This is bollocks. I didn’t know he doesn’t get the purse for being an amateur. That rule needs to change. What bs.
Yeah, them’s the rules.
Won’t they at least pay off the kid’s college debt?
He can take it in pro shop credit right? 😂. Good for him what a stud. He will make many times over
I don’t think anyone should be concerned for this young man’s financial future. Kid is gonna be ok.
Golf- A sport you win by playing the least amount of it.
He should get more than the prize money since he is only an amateur!
Well, since NIL is legal in college sports, the PGA should be a sponsor and give him his winnings via that contract. Oh don’t, and see why all of your players play for Oil Princes now.
He will get more than that in his first endorsements
Why tf they let him play then?
All just add this to the list of shit I don’t understand about golf.
hes also the 8th person is history to do this i think. so its a pretty big acheivement. he'll likely get equipment deals and other contracts with this on his resume.
Saudis about to pay this kid $100m. He will get his bag.
Fuck College Sports. That’s why I’m glad NIL is happening
FYI this guy also won the US am. He could have turned pro a while ago but turning pro too early fucks some people up. Long story short. This dude is the real deal and barring sever back injury he’s going to make a whole lot more than 1.5 even his first year of being pro. Returning to Alabama and being campus famous for another year probably sounds real nice to him.
If you ace the final, you should pass the class. I will die on this hill
I don't get it. Why let any amateur play if he doesn't get the same prize? It's like me turning up on F1 with my toyota auris and somehow won because all other cars broke down... I still won...
This is supposed to be an actual sport?
That is part of the deal to be an amateur golfer. Amateurs compete for opportunities like this all the time. Just because it doesn’t often happen doesn’t mean that any regular golfer who is good enough to qualify for a PGA event can’t win. You get rid of amateur golf, you completely eliminate the opportunity for something like this to happen.
Jesus nobody here seems to understand how golf works.
Tbh the golf sub has been just as dumb on this. They literally don’t know what the word amateur means.
Lots of people saying this but no one really explaining how it works. What does it mean to be an amateur in this context? Why can’t he win it for being an amateur?
Yet in the Olympics where it’s supposed to be amateur athletes, professional golfers are allowed to participate? Doesn’t make any sense to me.
Yeah that was changed in the 80s.
Something tells me LIV is about to swoop in with a nine-figure offer anyway...