Dunlap turns pro; West returns to 64-man matchpay
Callum Shinkwin of England tees off on the sixth hole on Day One of the Ras Al Khaimah Championship at Al Hamra Golf Club on January 25, 2024 in Ras al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
Nick Dunlap has opted to turn professional just days after becoming the first amateur to win on the PGA Tour since Phil Mickelson 33 years ago.
The University of Alabama sophomore (20), who won The American Express on Sunday, will make his first start in next week's Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
"It was the easiest, hardest decision that I've ever had to make, by far," said Dunlap, who withdrew from the Farmers Insurance Open to return to Alabama to tell his coach and teammates.
Exempt on the PGA Tour until the end of 2026, he added: "It was clear that I did want to play professional golf and it was a golden opportunity to do that with what the PGA Tour has provided.
"But telling them was the hardest thing, that I was leaving mid-year and I wasn't going to get to play the rest of the season out with them."
On the DP World Tour, England's Callum Shinkwin opened with a course record-equalling 10-under 62 to take a two-stroke lead over compatriot Richard Mansell and South Africa's Brandon Stone in the Ras Al Khaimah Championship.
He made eight birdies in a row at Al Hamra Golf Club, one shy of equalling the DP World Tour's record.
Tom McKibbin was tied 31st after a 69, while Padraig Harrington was 67th after a 71.
Rory McIlroy, meanwhile, says he will play the Amgen Irish Open at Royal County Down from September 12 to 15.
At the LPGA Drive On Championship, Stephanie Meadow opened her season with one-under 70 at Bradenton Country Club in Florida to trail leaders Nelly Korda and Lydia Ko, who shot 65s, by five strokes.
She was tied for 25th at the end of the day while Leona Maguire was tied 73rd after a two-over 73.
Maguire started with a birdie at the 10th but double bogeyed the 12th and then dropped another shot at the seventh in a 35-putt round.
In amateur golf, Ireland followed their opening day win over Portugal with a 4.54.5 tie with Germany in the men's Octagonal Matches at Costa Ballena in Cadiz.
In the Portuguese International Ladies Amateur Championship at Penina, Hermitage's Kate Lanigan added a three-under 70 to her opening 71 to share fifth place at halfway on five-under, eight strokes behind Helen Briem.
The German shot 66 to lead by five strokes from holder Rocio Tejedo of Spain on 13-under, with Lurgan's Annabel Wilson tied for ninth on four-under after a fine 68 and Emma Fleming 16th on one-under after a 73.
Meanwhile, Golf Ireland has announced changes to its championships for 2024, reintroducing the Irish Boys' and Girls' Amateur Opens as stand-alone events with Flogas as sponsor.
It has also decided to return to the traditional format for the West of Ireland Championship, with the top 64 after 36 holes making the matchplay stages following a two-year trial of an alternative format of 54 holes stroke play with 16 qualifying for match play.
County Sligo will also host the Flogas Irish Men's Amateur Open from May 9-12 with the winner — and the leading Irish player in the event of an overseas win — earning a spot in August's Irish Challenge at The K Club.
In another key change, the lower age limit for the Men's Mid-Amateur Championships has been reduced from 30 to 25.
This is being done in response to the introduction by the European Golf Association of a European Mid-Amateur Team Championship for Men and Women; however, there will be a proviso in the regulations to ensure that at least 75% of the field in Mid-Amateur Championships going forward will be from the previously-eligible pool of over-30s.
The Irish Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship will remain open to any female players over-18 years of age, consistent with the over-18 championships at Regional level.
The ISPS Handa Irish Open for Players with a Disability will be once again played at Roganstown, but with both Roganstown and Swords Open courses playing host to different categories within the event, which will be open to an expanded field.
The Flogas Irish Women’s Amateur Open Championship takes place in Woodbrook once again, but on the new date of 15-17 June in an attempt to capitalize on the large influx of overseas players in Ireland for the Women’s Amateur Championship, which takes place in Portmarnock the following week.
Following a detailed process, Golf Ireland will stage three Women’s and Girls’ competitions over a four-day period in a new ‘AIG Irish Women’s and Girls’ Amateur Close Championship week’ which will take place from 30 July to 2 August in Roscommon Golf Club.
On Days 1 and 2, there will be two 36-hole stroke play championships – the AIG Irish Girls’ Amateur Close Stroke Play Championship and the AIG Irish Over-18 Women’s Amateur Close Stroke Play Championship. The winners of each will be crowned AIG Close Stroke Play Champion in their respective category, with the top-12 scores across both of those championships joining four exempt players based on WAGR positions in the AIG Irish Women’s Amateur Close Championship on Days 3 and 4, which will consist of four rounds of match play.
Exemptions will only be given to players who have entered the Close but who are competing in the European Ladies’ Amateur Championship the previous weekend, and where fewer than four exemptions are extended, additional places will go to players based on scores on the first two days of the AIG Close Championship week.
In addition, the next 16 best scores in the AIG Irish Girls’ Amateur Close Championship on Days 1 and 2 will contest the Irish Girls’ Amateur Plate on Days 3 and 4. Likewise, the next 16 best scores in the AIG Irish Over-18 Women’s Amateur Close Championship will contest the Irish Women’s Amateur Plate on Days 3 and 4.
