Alabama golfer feels at home in U.S. Open on North Carolina’s Pinehurst No. 2

Less than one year ago, Nick Dunlap won the 123rd North and South Amateur at Pinehurst No. 2.

At 12:25 p.m. CDT Thursday, Dunlap will tee off again at the historic layout in Pinehurst, North Carolina, this time in the first round of the 124th U.S. Open.

In 2021, the former Spain Park High School standout and Alabama All-American won the U.S. Junior Amateur across the road from Pinehurst No. 2 at the Country Club of North Carolina course.

Back in the North Carolina sandhills this week, Dunlap knows the place to eat is CharBar No. 7 in Southern Pines about 5 miles from Pinehurst No. 2.

“I don’t have to use the navigation around here, so that’s nice,” Dunlap said on Wednesday. “As simply as it sounds, just knowing where you’re driving gives you a little bit of home feeling, honestly. I’ve been here a lot, even through junior junior golf, and it just gives you a little extra comfort when you’re on the golf course.”

That’s one reason that bettors are hyping Dunlap in this year’s national-championship tournament.

“I got a lot of history here,” Dunlap said. “I, for whatever reason, play good in North Carolina, so good vibes.”

After his practice rounds on Pinehurst No. 2 this week, Dunlap noted the differences and similarities between the current layout and the conditions when he won in July.

“Tack on about 500 yards, 400 yards and it’s way firmer and way faster,” Dunlap said. “No, it’s still the same principles for this golf course. You can’t short-side yourself. You got to leave it below the hole. Sometimes missing the green is better than 25 feet above it.

“Something that was a little bit different was around the greens they left it a little bit longer than they did last year, making putting a little bit more challenging. You might see a lot of 6-irons, 5-irons, hybrids, woods instead of putting just because you got to hit it pretty hard. Once you get on the green, the greens are extremely fast. It’s kind of tough to judge that.

“But for the most part, it’s the same. You miss the fairway, it’s hit or miss whether you got a lie and a chance to advance it. It’s just very, very challenging.”

Dunlap qualified to play as an amateur in the U.S. Open in 2022 and 2023, but he missed the cut in both years. Dunlap’s victory in last year’s U.S. Amateur Championship is why he’s playing in this week’s U.S. Open.

But Dunlap is playing as a pro because he won the PGA Tour’s American Express tournament on Jan. 21 in LaQuinta, California, as an amateur. Dunlap took the PGA Tour membership that came with the victory and left the Alabama men’s golf team in his second season to turn pro.

In his first eight events as a professional, Dunlap had finishes of 11th, 48th, 53rd, 69th and 80th and missed the cut three times. Since the beginning of May, Dunlap finished 30th at the Byron Nelson and 24th at the Wells Fargo, missed the cut at the PGA Championship and is coming off a 12th-place showing at the Memorial. He’s won $649,126 in prize money since the beginning of May.

“I’m slowing learning how to play some of these very difficult golf courses,” Dunlap said. “… Noise is starting to calm down a little bit and look forward to having a good week.”

While Dunlap is now a pro, two of the 16 amateurs in the field for this week’s U.S. Open have Alabama golf roots – Vanderbilt’s Gordon Sargent, a former Mountain Brook High School standout, and Auburn’s Brendan Valdes.

Also in the field are Frankie Capan III (Alabama), Justin Thomas (Alabama) and Davis Thompson (Lee-Scott Academy).

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.