Alabama golfers going berserk in team van over Nick Dunlap's win is must-watch celebration

In a matter of seconds, the Alabama men’s golf team might have just lost one of the best golfers in program history to the pros, and yet the players celebrated as if they had all won the NCAA Championship. Or maybe the Super Bowl.

With 20-year-old Crimson Tide sophomore Nick Dunlap trying to nail down the first PGA Tour victory by an amateur in 33 years, the Alabama players were crowded into a very tricked-up sprinter van, watching Sunday’s The American Express drama on a good-size television. (Yes, the van is a sweet flex for a Power 5 golf program.)

In a video apparently being taken by graduate student player Canon Claycomb, who posted it on X (formerly Twitter), the Alabama team watched in nervous silence as Dunlap stroked his six-foot par putt that would secure his historic 29-under-par victory on the PGA West Stadium Course in La Quinta, Calif.

When the ball dropped, it was utter pandemonium in the packed van, with every player seemingly screaming at the top of his lungs at the same time. The only decipherable words: “OH MY GOD!”

There were no cell phones or social media when Phil Mickelson was the last to win as an amateur in 1991, but this video will be a part of Dunlap lore. Even the time stamp on Twitter will be notable: 4:29 p.m. Jan 21, 2024.

How fast did it go viral? Less than an hour after the putt, the video—shared by the PGA Tour and many other high-profile media types—already had received more than 170,000 views.

The beauty of Claycomb’s tweets is how he recorded in real time the thrill and nerve-wracking agony he and his teammates were going through.

There are a lot of horrible things about social media, but these are beautiful. We don't know you, but thanks Canon Claycomb. Take a bow.