NEW YORK: Nick Dunlap, who became the first player to win as an amateur and a professional in the same season, has been named the PGA Tour’s Rookie of the Year for the 2024 season, the US-based circuit said on Thursday.

The 20-year-old American was selected for the Arnold Palmer Award over Max Greyserman, Jake Knapp and Matthieu Pavon, receiving 57% of the membership vote.

In January, Dunlap triumphed at The American Express in La Quinta, California to become the first amateur to win a PGA Tour event since Phil Mickelson in 1991.

Four days after the victory, Dunlap announced he was turning professional and in July added to his breakthrough season when he won the Barracuda Championship at Tahoe Mountain Club.

Dunlap went on to qualify for his first FedExCup playoffs where he advanced to the second of three events. He placed 49th in the FedExCup and qualified for the PGA Tour’s Signature Events in 2025 by virtue of finishing among the top 50.

“Nick carved out his place in the PGA Tour record book,” PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said in a news release. “To begin 2024 as a collegiate golfer and end it with two PGA Tour victories and among the top-50 players in the FedExCup is truly impressive.”

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2024