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Nick Dunlap Looking for Answers After Opening 90 at Masters

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Alex Miceli | Last updated Apr 10, 2025 5:56 PM ET

AUGUSTA, GA - Thankfully, Nick Dunlap, who turned 21 in December, can buy a beer because he will need something to soothe his ego after signing for an 18-over 90 in the first round of the 89^th Masters.

Playing in his second Masters, Dunlap did not find his first appearance necessarily to his liking, missing the cut shooting 77-74-151, 7-over-par.

Currently ranked 42^nd in the world rankings, Dunlap came to Augusta National in his second appearance, having missed three consecutive cuts, which could explain why he struggled in Thursday’s first round.

It was a round where Dunlap found water on the 11^th, 12^th, and 16^th holes.

Add a drop in the trees on the right side of the fifth hole, and Dunlap had four penalty shots in his unforgettable round.

Dunlap was also five-over on Amen Corner.

The round consisted of seven bogeys, four double bogeys, one triple bogey, and six pars.

Since 1956, when amateur Charles Kunkle Jr. recorded a final round 95, the highest single-round score in Masters history, there have been 10 other rounds in the 90’s, mostly by former champions in their 60’s.

Two-time Masters champion Ben Crenshaw shot 91 in the first round of the 2015 Masters at the age of 63.

1973 champion Tommy Aaron recorded a 92 in the first round of the 2003 Masters.

Doug Ford, the 1957 Masters champion, shot a 94 in the first round of the 2000 Masters and the same score in the second round in 1997.

Horton Smith, the 1934 and 1936 champion, shot 91 in 1963 and 92 in 1962's first round.

Amateur Charles Evans Jr. didn’t break 90 in 1959 and 1960, nor did Fred McLeod in 1955 or 1956.

On the PGA Tour last year, Aguri Iwasaki shot 91 at the Open Championship at Troon in the second round.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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