LOS CABOS, Mexico – Nick Dunlap and Sami Valimaki would like the PGA Tour to feature more courses with spacious fairways like at the Tiger Woods-designed El Cardonal at Diamante, which is playing host to the 2025 World Wide Technology Championship this week.
The two struggling golfers both shot course-record tying rounds of 11-under 61 in Thursday’s opening round, hitting all 14 of the fairways at the resort-member course where the fairways are tough to miss – even for Dunlap and Valimaki. The 27-year-old Finnish pro ranks No. 153 in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, which has been the leading cause of his struggles and the reason he entered the week at No. 103 in the FedEx Cup Fall. One of the few players who has hit it worse with the driver is Dunlap, 21, who entered the week at No. 175 in SG: Off the Tee.
“Golf’s been very hard recently and today was the opposite of that,” Dunlap said.
After winning twice last season – once as an amateur and once as a pro – and earning Rookie of the Year honors, Dunlap has suffered through a sophomore slump, including four missed cuts in his last five starts. He entered the week at No. 145 in the FedEx Cup Fall, though he’s exempt next season thanks to his victories. He’s trying to keep a positive attitude as he goes through his growing pains, noting that things can be worse in his life than just missing fairways.
“I’m still playing on the PGA Tour, I’ve got a lot of time, I’m still young and I’m just honestly trying to learn as much as I can,” he said.
Hitting 3-wood off the tee a bunch and keeping his ball on the short grass set up the rest of his game and a slight adjustment to his putter last week paid quick dividends.
“That’s been the strength of my game, I love putting, I love hitting irons. So if I can give myself a chance to do that, I think I like where I’ll end up,” he said.
Dunlap carded nine birdies and an eagle at the last hole when he chipped in from left of the green to cap off a spectacular day.
“The ball was kind of matting down there, it was really tight, grainy, kind of sandy,” he said. “Fortunately I kind of had that slope, I could kind of bang it into the slope. If I gas it, it goes too far and I’ve got 10, 12 feet back up the hill. It just kind of came out perfect, trickled in the hole.”
Valimaki also played in the morning during calm conditions that made El Cardonal gettable. Having lost in a playoff last year at the Mexico Open and a fast start in Cabo, he was asked what it is he likes about playing south of the border. “I don’t know what is clicking in Mexico, but I think we should play more over here.”
Valimaki got off to a shaky start with a 3-putt par at the first but then striped his approach at the second inside two feet. He made a long birdie at No. 3 and was off and running. “I feel like those two got my momentum going,” he said.
Sitting three spots outside the top 100 in the FedEx Cup Fall, Valimaki said he knows it’s getting to be put up or shut up time but he already secured his card for next year on the DP World Tour, so he has a safety net in case things don’t work out on the PGA Tour. If he can keep the bogey-free golf going at the WWT Championship and birdie more than half the holes like he did in the first round, he won’t have to worry.
“When you (shoot) 61,” he said, “pretty much whole game’s good.”
