An old saying in golf is, “You can’t win the Masters on Thursday, but you can lose it.” Golf is not an easy sport, and the Augusta National Golf Club course is one of the most unforgiving.
When former Alabama golf star Nick Dunlap teed up for his second consecutive Masters visit, he proved that old saying. Dunlap had a disastrous start to the tournament, finishing Hole 18 at 90 and 18-over-par, effectively eliminating himself on the first day.
On that picturesque Thursday at Augusta, Dunlap walked up to the tee for the 89th Masters. As if a sign of how bad things would go, his first shot of the tournament found the trees to the left of the tee box.
At the famous 11th, 12th and 13th holes, known as “Amen Corner,” Dunlap continued the downward spiral. He managed to find the water on each hole, depositing three balls into Rae’s Creek. On holes with pars of 4-3-5, he shot a 6-5-6.
Dunlap couldn’t catch a break even as he teed off on Hole 18, hooking his shot into the trees. Then, as if things couldn’t get any worse, his second shot only moved the ball about three feet. There have been countless clips of soon-to-be victors strolling up the hill on 18 toward the green, but this time it was a beaten man.
When he turned his scorecard in, it was official: one of the worst opening rounds at the Masters since Charlie Kunkle’s 95 in 1956. Now he was the youngest to shoot 90.
Sitting dead last on the board, speculations on whether or not he would return on the second day began to appear on X.
That night, with the help of Alabama men’s basketball athletic trainer Clarke Holter, Dunlap spent hours hitting balls into the woods.
“I probably hit 12 different kinds of golf balls, from colors to brands to you name it,” he said. “It’s hard to put everything you have into something and feel like you’re not getting any better.”
With no chance at making the cut, Dunlap teed up for the second day of competition.
“I think a lot of people would have maybe backed out, maybe not,” Dunlap said. “Certainly I wanted to at times.”
Despite still struggling with his driver, Dunlap managed to cobble together a score that would’ve tied him at 11th overall if only one day earlier. In a historic turnaround, Dunlap finished the second day with a 71, one under par.
Battling anxiety and a swing that he couldn’t get control of, Dunlap’s biggest nemesis on the course this April was himself.
“I had more of a knot in my stomach today than I’ve ever had starting a round of golf,” he said.
In a game that is as mental as it is physical, it is clear that his performance at the tournament opener stuck with him despite his efforts. After his turnaround, a smile never graced his face in his interview.
“There’s a lot of things I could have done that would make me a lot more happy [than] to come out and feel like I’m not playing well at all and play golf in front of a bunch of people,” he said. “But yeah, I’m never going to quit. I’m always going to show up.”
