Amateurs Who Have Won PGA TOUR Events

Amateurs Who Have Won PGA TOUR Events

Nick Dunlap’s 2024 win at The American Express makes him just the eighth Amateur to win a PGA TOUR tournament.

The last was Phil Mickelson in 1991 at what now is the Waste Management Phoenix Open .

Dunlap is a twenty-year-old sophomore at Alabama.

Other Amateurs who have won PGA TOUR events are:

Scott Verplank at the 1985 Western Open. Verplank would turn pro in 1986, winning five times on the PGA TOUR.

Doug Sanders at the 1956 Canadian Open. As a pro, Sanders was known as “The Peacock of the Fairways” for his stylish apparel. He is the only amateur to win the Canadian Open. Sanders turned pro later the same year, winning twenty times on the PGA TOUR.

Gene Littler at the 1954 San Diego Open. The San Diego native would go on win 54 times on the PGA and Champions Tours. He won the 1961 US Open and is a member of the Golf Hall of Fame.

Frank Stranahan at the 1945 Durham War Bond Tournament and the 1948 Miami Open. Stranahan was quite the physical specimen. Known as the Toledo Strongman, he ranked number one in his weight class in powerlifting from 1945 to 1954. When he retired from tournament golf in the 1960s, he became a marathon runner, competing in 102 marathons. Stranahan won 70 amateur golf tournaments, finishing second as an amateur at the Masters and The Open Championship. Stranahan turned golf pro in 1955. In all, he won nine times as a pro.

Cary Middlecoff at the 1945 North and South Open. He would go on to win 39 PGA TOUR events and three Majors. Middlecoff was actually Dr. Middledoff, a doctor of dentistry.

Fred Haas at the 1945 Memphis Invitational. He eventually won seven times on the PGA TOUR.