Nick Dunlap aims to retain championship at The American Express
Following a two-week stay in Hawaii, the PGA Tour has now returned to the mainland for the first time this year with the start of The American Express in La Quinta, Calif on Thursday.
This event is the first of many on the tour that will feature multiple courses, with a total of three being used for this tournament.
The unique format will see players take on one round each at the Pete Dye Stadium Course, Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West, and La Quinta Country Club. All three courses have a par-72 layout, with the Pete Dye Stadium Course hosting the final round after a 54-hole cut to the top 65 and ties.
According to Justin Thomas, \"Although the courses are different ... they all have the same general idea, that you need to make a lot of birdies and you need to be aggressive. They're very scorable, so I take the same mindset into all of the courses. It's an offense week, not defense.\"
Last year, amateur Nick Dunlap had to quickly learn all three courses when he played in The American Express. He ended up making history by becoming the first amateur to win on tour since Phil Mickelson in 1991. Dunlap has since turned pro, won a second event in July, and received PGA Tour Rookie of the Year honors.
Now 21 years old, Dunlap is back to defend his title and adjusting to life on tour. He said, \"My life got sped up a little bit, and in a good way. I'm out here, I'm living my dream, and wouldn't change it for anything, but that it all doesn't just happen easy or smoothly. There's definitely some bumps and humps in the road that you got to navigate.\"
As Thomas mentioned, birdies are crucial in this tournament, which was previously known as the Bob Hope Classic. The winning score has been no worse than 20-under-par 268 since the tournament changed its format in 2011. Last year, Dunlap set the tournament 72-hole scoring record with a 29-under 259.
Among the top players in the field this week is Wyndham Clark, ranked No. 7 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Also competing is last week's winner at the Sony Open in Hawaii, Nick Taylor of Canada, who now has five PGA Tour victories to his name.
Despite dealing with a nagging knee issue, Tony Finau is also playing this week. He did not win a tournament in 2020 after claiming four trophies in 2018 and 2019.
Finau said, \"There's always some nagging injury, it seems like, for everybody. Coming off this injury, I feel really good. I had a nice start, I feel like, at The Sentry with how my body felt and how my game felt, and I'm looking forward to just building on that this week.\"
This week will also mark the professional debut of 17-year-old Blades Brown. As an amateur last season, he made the cut at the Myrtle Beach Classic and finished T26. Brown chose to turn pro this offseason instead of pursuing a college golf scholarship.
Brown said, \"This is going to be a process, and in processes there are hills and valleys. And I'm lucky enough to have an awesome team around me supporting me, and I'm just super excited to go through this journey along with them. Whatever happens is going to happen.\"
