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Nick Dunlap signed one of the worst cards of his young career Thursday, shooting an 18-over 90 in the first round of the 2025 Masters Tournament. The 2024 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year is all but out of the tournament, a result similar to his debut a year ago.
According to PGA Tour writer Paul Hodowanic, it is the worst round at Augusta National since Ben Crenshaw carded a 19-over 91 in 2015.
Nick Dunlap shot 90 (18-over) in the first round of the Masters.
That’s the highest score at Augusta National since Ben Crenshaw (then 63 years old) shot 91 in 2015. pic.twitter.com/9bhwdQebyZ
— Paul Hodowanic (@PaulHodowanic) April 10, 2025
One major difference though, Crenshaw was 63 years old at the time. Dunlap is 21.
Dunlap got off to a slow start, bogeying the first hole. It would be just the beginning of the ordeal that his performance on the front nine, which included a triple bogey on the 5th hole and three more bogeys to make the turn at 7-over.
The back nine was even worse, with another four double bogeys and three more bogeys for a thunderous 18-over. Dunlap did not make a single birdie during the round, making par on just six holes.
Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
The two-time PGA Tour winner has not had much luck at Augusta National Golf Club, and is still searching for his first round of even par or better. A year ago, he missed the cut after shooting 77 and 74 in the first two rounds.
This is by far Dunlap’s worst round in his 36-tournament PGA Tour career, including the five major championships he has played in. Disturbingly, his worst round to date came not once, but twice, just a few weeks ago when he shot 80 in the second round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational and on the first day of the PLAYERS Championship.
Surprisingly, this is not the worst score reported in the history of the Masters Tournament. That “honor” belongs to Charles Kunkle, who shot a final-round 95 in 1956, according to Golf.com.
The truth is, it is more than obvious that Nick Dunlap is in a deep slump right now. He came to Augusta National having missed three consecutive cuts. In addition, this will be his sixth missed cut in as many major championships.
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