Nick Dunlap

Amateur golfer Nick Dunlap's historic victory at a PGA Tour event sparks debate on amateur athletes receiving prize money. The challenges of NCAA amateurism and Name, Image, Likeness in college sports are discussed. The financial impact of Dunlap's win and unpaid labor in golf are explored. Proposed solutions for amateur golfers facing sponsorship pressures are examined. The evolution of college sports and the NIL impact on athletes is also addressed.

Smylie Kaufman and Charlie Hulme celebrate a historic day in golf: 20-year-old Nick Dunlap, who is currently a sophomore at the University of Alabama, won the American Express as an amateur, the first time an amateur has won on Tour since Phil Mickelson in 1991. Smylie recounts what it's been like watching Nick grow up in Birmingham, and what an incredible incubator of golf talent that city's been with the concurrent rise of Vanderbilt junior Gordon Sargent. SK and CH also discuss whether it's even a question if Nick will turn pro given all the immediate status that comes with a Tour win.