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An amateur hasn't won on the PGA Tour since Phil Mickelson in 1991. That can all change Sunday as reigning U.S. Amateur champion Nick Dunlap fired a third-round 60 to grab a three-stroke lead over Sam Burns at 27 under heading into the final round of the 2024 American Express. Looking to not only break a 33-year streak but also become the youngest amateur to ever win on the PGA Tour, the 20-year-old Dunlap has looked wise beyond his years through three days in Palm Springs, California. 

"It was a blast," Dunlap said. "Honestly, like my caddie, Hunter, said it a million times today, there's no time like the present. I think it's easy -- the putter felt so good. Everything -- the hole looked like a funnel. You got a par-5 next hole, I'm going to do this and this. He did a really good job of keeping me settled and keeping me where I was. Ultimately, I just kind of kept putting shots together and ended up with a pretty good round."

Trailing Burns, the 36-hole leader, by two heading into the weekend, Dunlap went to work at the gettable La Quinta Country Club on Saturday. Four birdies in his first five holes propelled Dunlap past Burns and Michael Kim on the leaderboard and gave the Alabama sophomore sole possession of the lead. He would not look back from there as three additional birdies around the turn set the stage for an electric back nine (the front nine at La Quinta CC) as the birdies continued to fly before an eagle landed on the par-5 6th to get him to 11 under on the round.

The thought of a sub-60 round became real, but two pars quickly squashed the idea of any additional history. Instead, Dunlap tacked on just one more birdie on his final hole to sign for a 12-under 60 — the lowest round by an amateur since Patrick Cantlay accomplished the same in the second round of the 2011 Travelers Championship.

Dunlap will not be the only player with ties to Alabama to be featured in Sunday's final tee time as he draws a comfortable threesome featuring Justin Thomas. The 15-time PGA Tour winner hopes to rain on the parade of the man 10 years his younger and get back to his winning ways.

After enduring the worst statistical season of his career in 2023, the 30-year-old continues to look more and more like his usual self. Like Dunlap, Thomas threatened a record, but a par on the par-4 18th meant he too tied Cantlay for a scoring record with his 11-under 61 at the Stadium Course. He will begin the final round at 23 under and with a legitimate chance to claim his 16th PGA Tour title and first since the 2022 PGA Championship.

The leader

1. Nick Dunlap (-27): Dunlap's performance through 54 holes is historic, but those really in the know probably aren't all too surprised. The 20-year-old has accomplished just about everything at the amateur ranks including winning both the U.S. Junior and the U.S. Amateur —a feat only Tiger Woods has done as well. In addition to his success in USGA championships, Dunlap has starred on the U.S. Walker Cup and World Amateur teams and won big-time amateur events like the North & South and the Northeast Amateur. Sunday will be a completely different monster, but Dunlap should be well-equipped given his affinity for the big stage.

"It definitely feels different," Dunlap said. "The stage is obviously different, but at the end of the day it is still golf. There's a tee box, a flag, and a hole at the end of the hole. You try your best to get it in, in the least amount of shots possible. That's kind of all I got. Just try to give myself as many good looks at birdie as I can."

Other contenders

2. Sam Burns (-24)
3. Justin Thomas (-23)
4. Christiaan Bezuidenhout (-21)
T5. Xander Schauffele, Adam Hadwin, Si Woo Kim, J.T. Poston, Eric Cole (-20)

It is a sneaky important stretch of golf for Thomas as he arrived at the American Express ranked 28th in the world. The top 30 in the Official World Golf Rankings at the end of next week's Farmers Insurance will qualify for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and Thomas looks well on his way to solidifying his spot in the first signature event next week. The iron play regressed mightily in 2023, but a resurgent fall that featured three top-five finishes looks to have trickled into the new year. 

Among those who played on the Stadium Course on Saturday, Thomas ranked first in strokes gained tee to green, first in strokes gained approach and third in strokes gained putting. Unless he expects Dunlap to come back to the field, Thomas will need a similar performance tomorrow to win and ensure his spot in the field for not only Pebble Beach but all the signature events in 2024.

"It feels great. I've been playing well, I've been, I felt good, felt confident, at that point it's just about coming out and playing," Thomas said. "Obviously, not playing in competition awhile, you never know how it's going to be, but I felt comfortable at La Quinta to start, and start making some birdies. But, yeah, everything feels good. I just got to go out tomorrow and make a lot of birdie and capitalize, and hopefully just get within striking distance going into the back nine."

2024 American Express updated odds and picks

  • Nick Dunlap: 5/4
  • Sam Burns: 23/10
  • Justin Thomas: 18/5

The lead is large, but it's not insurmountable. Those in the chasing pack will need some help from Dunlap, but if the kid signs for a score around 68 then it swings the door wide open for an outsider. If something around 32 under proves to be the winning score then Thomas should like his chances to follow up his third-round effort with a deciding final-round push. He's striking the ball beautifully, rolling the rock with confidence and has been in this moment plenty.

Rick Gehman and Greg DuCharme recap Round 3 of the American Express. Follow & listen to The First Cut on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.