Masters Misery Goes Viral

PGA Tour Winner Has A Day To Forget

Nick Dunlap, the talented 21-year-old who was named 2024 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, experienced a brutal opening round at Augusta National on Thursday, shooting an eye-watering 18-over par 90 in the first round of The Masters.

This wasn’t just a bad day – it was historically rough. Dunlap became just the 11th golfer in Masters history to fail to break 90 in the first round, and the first player to shoot 90+ in an opening round in a decade. Even more shocking? He finished the day 11 strokes behind the second-to-last place golfer on the leaderboard.

The Rising Star’s Stunning Fall

What makes this round so surprising is Dunlap’s impressive resume. This is a two-time PGA Tour winner who made history in January 2024 at The American Express by becoming the first amateur in 33 years to win a PGA Tour event. He later added another victory at the Barracuda Championship in July 2024.

Dunlap’s scorecard featured a painful collection of seven bogeys, four double bogeys, and a triple bogey. The lone bright spot? A 14-foot putt on the 16th hole that helped him avoid yet another triple bogey.

Despite the catastrophic round, Dunlap didn’t withdraw – showing remarkable mental toughness by finishing all 18 holes. He’ll tee it up again Friday, though he faces an almost impossible task of making the cut, sitting 15 strokes behind the projected cut line of +3.

Social Media Shows Support

The internet responded with a mix of sympathy and humor. Many weekend golfers embraced Dunlap as “one of us,” while others noted his performance proves just how difficult Augusta National can be. As Golf.com pointed out, perhaps the most surprising stat was that Dunlap never once three-putted during his round!

Dunlap’s 90 places him tied for 8th on the all-time worst first-round scores at The Masters. The unofficial record belongs to Billy Casper, who reportedly shot 106 in 2005 but didn’t sign his scorecard (smart move).

Worst First Round Scores in Masters History:

• 94 – Doug Ford (2000)
• 92 – Tommy Aaron (2003)
• 92 – Horton Smith (1962)
• 91 – Ben Crenshaw (2015)
• 91 – Horton Smith (1963)
• 91 – Chick Evans* (1960)
• 91 – Fred McLeod (1955)
• 90 – Nick Dunlap (2025)
• 90 – Chick Evans* (1959)
• 90 – Jock Hutchison (1956)
• 90 – Frank Souchak* (1954) *indicates amateur status

The Lesson For All Golfers If there’s a silver lining for the rest of us, it’s this: Even the best players in the world can have those nightmare rounds where nothing goes right. Augusta National is considered one of the most challenging courses in the world, and Thursday it showed why.