EAST PROVIDENCE — Nick Dunlap won the Northeast Amateur, U.S. Amateur and his first PGA Tour event within the span of a few months beginning in summer 2023.
That sizzling stretch of success started here, and it’s an example of how close players who tee it up at Wannamoisett Country Club in a couple of short weeks are to the top of the golf world. It could be just a matter of time before the next champion on the classic Donald Ross layout is bound for something greater.
Preston Stout captured the 63rd edition of the event last year, riding an 8-under 61 in his second round to cruise by eight shots. He just became the 10th player from Oklahoma State to capture an individual NCAA championship and is among the amateurs who have qualified for next week’s U.S. Open at nearby Shinnecock Hills on Long Island.
“I think it’s the depth of the players today that’s so impressive,” Northeast Amateur cochair Ben Tuthill said Tuesday, June 9. “There are just so many — and a lot who aren’t going to be in our field.
“They just started playing and learning the game and competing at such a young age, and they’re ready to perform at the highest level before they’re old enough to go to college or drive a car. It’s crazy.”