THE AMERICAN EXPRESS

January 18, 2024

Nick Dunlap

PGA WEST Pete Dye Stadium Course

Quick Quotes

Q. Can you kind of assess the day?

NICK DUNLAP: It's great to be here. It's about 10 degrees and snowing back home, and I'm not in school and it's 70 degrees. I think my caddie Hunter said it a couple times, the weather, it couldn't get better. You know, Mr. Marzano and American Express have given me a great opportunity to be here, and just trying to make the best of it.

Q. Talk about the round today. 8-under. Hot start, with an eagle and a few birdies. Can you walk us through that hot start the first few holes.

NICK DUNLAP: Hit a nice wedge on 10. Had about five feet.

Hit driver, 7-iron in on 11 to about five or six feet again.

Almost made a 1 on 12.

So, as far as the start, it's almost picture perfect in my eyes. I had some really good breaks out there, to be honest. Got one good kick from a tree, I think on, like, 13. Was able to keep it going, putter got hot. Hunter had a lot of great reads, and some good numbers, happy with the way it ended.

Q. Talk about what your mindset, what your approach is when you get these precious opportunities to make PGA TOUR starts, and what your level of expectation is going into these tournaments?

NICK DUNLAP: It's just cool for me to see how I stack up. I've, obviously, I played two Opens, but it's a little bit different. Just to be out here and to see some of those guys and play a couple practice rounds with 'em, try to learn from 'em. It's really cool. To tee it up with Wilson, I played a lot of golf with him, he's a Bama alum. It was just a really comfortable pairing out there today. It was a lot of fun.

Q. Have you had a chance to get together with any of the other Alabama guys this week or meet up or hang out?

NICK DUNLAP: I've seen Justin running around. I've seen Lee, I hit some balls with Lee earlier on the range. I think yesterday. I'm not sure if Robby Shelton is here or not. Then, obviously, I'm playing with Wilson. So, there's a couple of us out here.

Q. Without getting ahead of yourself too much, what would it mean to you to keep this play up, make a cut on the TOUR, possibly contend? You're doing that right now through one round.

NICK DUNLAP: It would be awesome. As far as right now, I got La Quinta tomorrow, and I don't know if I ever putted on better greens, so looking forward to that. Just kind of stay in the present. We got a good game plan for tomorrow and try to go execute it.