January 14, 2025

Nick Dunlap tops AGA Players of the Year

By Alabama Golf News Staff
Players of the Tear Montage

Dunlap's 2024 season was record-setting

HOOVER – Nick Dunlap heads the list of the Alabama Golf Association’s Players of the Year for 2024.

A two-time winner on the PGA Tour, including one when he was still an amateur in school at the University of Alabama, Dunlap becomes a two-time AGA honoree.

Players of the year are selected based on a season-long ranking system.

In 1994, the Men’s Player of the Year Award was established. Over time, the award expanded to include Women (2010), Senior Men and Senior Women (2016), and Junior Boys and Junior Girls (2017).

Nick Dunlap 2024 PGA Tour rookie of the year
Nick Dunlap (Photo: Jennifer Perez/PGA TOUR)

Eight Alabama Men’s Players of the Year have competed on the PGA Tour or PGA Tour Champions. Notable past award winners include Garrett Osborn (2000), Patton Kizzire (2003), Bobby Wyatt (2011-2012), Michael Johnson (2013), Robby Shelton IV (2015) and Nick Dunlap (2023-2024). Will Swift (2002, 2005, 2006), Steve Hudson (2004, 2009, 2010), and Gordon Sargent (2020-2022) are tied for the most awards with three apiece.

Complete Alabama Amateur Player Rankings are available on the Alabama Golf Association website here.

2024 Alabama Amateur Player of the Year winners

Men

Nick Dunlap of Huntsville wins his second Alabama Men’s Player of the Year award. Starting the year as a sophomore at the University of Alabama, Dunlap won The American Express in January, becoming the first amateur to win a PGA Tour event since 1991 (Phil Mickelson/Northern Telecom Open). Dunlap recorded a 60 in the third round to hold a three-shot lead in his fourth PGA TOUR start, which he went on to win by one shot.

Four days after the victory, Dunlap announced his decision to turn professional and subsequently joined the PGA Tour, making his professional debut the following week at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Dunlap added the Barracuda Championship in July to become the first golfer in PGA Tour history with wins as an amateur and a professional in the same season. To finish off the year Dunlap won the Arnold Palmer Award as the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year for the 2024 season. Dunlap is the youngest player to be named PGA Tour Rookie of the Year since Jordan Spieth in 2013. Dunlap is currently the 32nd ranked player in the Official World Golf Rankings.

Women

Scarlett Schremmer of Birmingham earns her first Alabama Women’s Player of the Year award.

A standout on the national stage, Scarlett qualified for the Round of 16 in both the U.S. Women’s Amateur and U. S. Girls’ Junior Championship. A member of the inaugural United States National Developmental Team, Schremmer also qualified for match play in the 122nd Women’s North & South Amateur. Scarlett finished tied-sixth in the 109th Southwestern Amateur and won The Dye Junior Invitational. Schremmer also represented the United States and Alabama as a member of the 2024 Junior Solheim Cup team.

“In 2024, I was so lucky to represent the United States on the U.S. National Team and in the Junior Solheim Cup,” Schremmer said. “Knowing I’m also representing Alabama Golf while playing for my country is a true honor. I’m incredibly grateful to my family, friends, and God for always having my back on and off the course. I can’t wait for another great year of golf in 2025 and to see all the progress made by the Alabama Golf Association.”

Senior Men

Robert Nelson of Fairhope receives his second Alabama Senior Men’s Player of the Year award (2019). Nelson’s 2024 was highlighted by his performance at the U.S. Senior Amateur at The Honors Course in Ooltewah, Tennessee, where he made it to the semifinals before losing 1up to the eventual Champion. Nelson also made it to the semifinal match of the Alabama State Senior Match Play Championship.

Nelson has eight career AGA Championship titles with his first coming nearly 50 years ago at the 1978 Alabama State Junior Championship. He also won the 2009 Alabama State Mid-Amateur and 2016 Alabama State Four-Ball Championship before adding three Alabama State Senior Amateur titles (2017, 2019 and 2022) and two Alabama State Senior Four-Ball titles (2014, 2017) to his list of accolades.

“It’s an honor to receive such a prestigious award,” Nelson said. “Given the vast number of great senior players in our State, it is my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that deserves all the credit for this accomplishment.”

Senior Women

Theresa Mahlik of Madison wins her first Alabama Senior Women’s Player of the Year award. In a successful 2024 campaign she won two AGA Championship titles at the Alabama Women’s State Senior Championship and the Alabama Women’s State Senior Match Play. On the national stage, she qualified for the U.S. Senior Women’s Open  in Pittsburgh. Mahlik also represented the victorious Amateur Team in the 2024 Alabama Cup.

Mahlik has three career AGA Championship titles – the 2023 and 2024 Alabama Women’s State Senior Match Play Championship, and the 2024 Alabama Women’s State Senior Championship.

“I’ve worked very hard to be a better player but never in my wildest dreams did I expect to win two state titles in the same year and be named the women’s senior player of the year. It is an honor to receive it.” Mahlik said.

Junior Girls

Scarlett Schremmer, 2025, of Birmingham is a senior in high school who is home-schooled.

A standout on the national stage, Scarlett qualified for the Round of 16 in both the U.S. Women’s Amateur and U. S. Girls’ Junior. A member of the inaugural United States National Developmental Team, Schremmer also qualified for match play in the 122nd Women’s North & South Amateur. Scarlett finished tied-sixth in the 109th Southwestern Amateur and won The Dye Junior Invitational. Schremmer is the No. 1-ranked junior in Alabama.

This is Schremmer’s second Alabama Junior Player of the Year award.

Junior Boys

Tyler Watts, 2026, of Huntsville is a home-schooled junior in high school who recently committed to play at the University of Tennessee.

At the U. S. Junior Amateur, Tyler finished second after 36-holes of stroke play and methodically worked his way through successive match play rounds to reach the Finals, where he finished as runner-up.

Watts followed up his victory in December’s Jones Cup Junior Invitational with top four finishes in the 108th Alabama State Amateur (T4), The Elite Invitational (2nd), the Terra Cotta Invitational (2nd), and tied-second at the AJGA’s Mayakoba Invitational. With high school teammate Barak Erwin, Watts won the 42nd Alabama State Four-Ball in May to add to his collection of AGA titles. Watts also competed in the 124th U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine.

A member of the inaugural United States National Junior Team, Tyler is the number one ranked junior in the State of Alabama and the 2024 Alabama Golf Association Junior Boys Player of the Year. This is watt’s second Alabama Junior Player of the Year Award.

The Alabama Junior Players of the Year awards are based on Alabama State Junior Golf Rankings. The points accumulated from Sept. 1 thru Aug. 31 of the current year are taken into consideration. The top Boy and Girl in the current year rankings, as of August 31, will be awarded the Alabama State Junior Player of the Year.

Have a story idea or a news item to report to Alabama Golf News? Email gregg@alabamagolfnews.com

Featured image montage courtesy of the Alabama Golf Association

Lexi golf ball add 300x250