La Quinta, California, United States: Chinese Taipei’s Kevin Yu Chun-an flirted with a maiden PGA Tour victory thanks to a scintillating final round of nine-under 63 at The American Express.
The 25-year-old Yu, a former number one in the World Amateur Golf Ranking who appeared in six editions of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC), snared 10 birdies against a closing bogey at PGA West Stadium Course and finished tied third.
The US$8.4 million tournament was sensationally won by 20-year-old Nick Dunlap, who became the first amateur since Phil Mickelson in 1991 to win a PGA Tour tournament as he ground out a 70 to edge South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout by a single stroke with his 29-under winning total.
Japanese rookie Ryo Hisatsune, who earned his playing rights on the PGA Tour through the DP World Tour Top-10 last season, continued his strong start to 2024 by finishing tied 11th on 23-under, while the Korean trio of Im Sung-jae, KH Lee and 2021 American Express winner Kim Si-woo shared 25th place on 19-under.
Yu, who missed four months of action early last year following knee surgery, underlined his talent at The American Express by soaring into contention with an outward 30. He made four more birdies through 16 to jostle for the lead but a bogey on 18 saw him finish two strokes back.
“I was so glad to shoot a nine-under round. It was beyond my expectation,” said Yu, who shared third place with Xander Schauffele (65) and Justin Thomas (68). “I had great feelings with my swing and my putting worked really well. I hope I can keep the good momentum and become a winner soon.”
The majority of Yu’s 10 birdies were from inside 10 feet. The longest putt he made came on the 14th hole when he rolled in a 19-footer to earn a share of the lead for the first time in the final round.
Referring to his only bogey where he found sand after hitting a three-wood from the tee, Yu said. “The club was a bit open, and it found the bunker on the right. That bunker was quite deep, so I could only hit it back out onto the fairway. I then misjudged the distance for my third due to the wind. It came up short and I made a bogey, which was a pity,” said Yu, who also finished tied third at the 2022 Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
A PGA Tour University graduate, Yu added a new member to his ‘backroom’ team last week in a bid to sharpen his course management skills after missing the cut at the Sony Open in Hawaii. “Last week I added one consultant to my team who gave me advice on course strategy. That was helpful and gave me great confidence. I hope I can do well in the coming week,” said Yu, who is participating in this week’s Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.
Yu appeared in the AAC from 2014 to 2019 with four top-six finishes. In 2015, he tied for fourth at Hong Kong’s Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club. The following year he was solo sixth at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club, Korea and then joint sixth at Royal Wellington in New Zealand in 2017 and equal fifth at Sheshan in China in 2019.
Dunlap, the reigning US Amateur champion who was competing on a sponsor’s exemption, produced a gutsy up-and-down par save on the last for an historic victory over a field which featured 21 players in the top-50 in the Official World Golf Ranking, including world number one Scottie Scheffler. At the age of 20 years and 29 days, he also became the youngest winner on Tour since 1910.
“It’s everything that I dreamed of. Just to have a chance on the last hole to win a PGA Tour event is really special. I was so nervous (on the last hole). It’s a really cool spot to be in as an amateur, and just to be here and be given the opportunity to play. I don’t ever want to forget today,” said Dunlap, who is in his sophomore year at the University of Alabama.
With a two-year exemption on offer to all PGA Tour winners plus guaranteed starts in all the Signature events and The Players Championship, Dunlap will take his time to determine if he is to join the play-for-pay ranks soon. “That’s something that doesn’t just affect me. It affects a lot of people, coach and my team-mates. It’s a conversation I need to have with a lot of people before I make that decision,” he said.
