Amateur Nick Dunlap has been making headlines, first with his 2023 US Amateur win and then with an incredible performance at the 2024 American Express as he became the first amateur since 1991 to win a PGA Tour event.
Joining the 20-year-old at La Quinta for his historic final round was his girlfriend Isabella Ellis. Here’s what we know about her.
Like Dunlap, Ellis hails from Alabama, but while Dunlap was born in Huntsville, Ellis is from Tuscaloosa. There, she attended Tuscaloosa Academy, where she was a varsity cheerleader.
Nowadays, she is a student at the University of Alabama, where Dunlap is a sophomore and member of the Crimson Tide men’s golf team.
Ellis has also continued cheerleading at the university, where, according to the Tuscaloosa Academy Facebook page, she will major in nursing. Among her academic achievements so far have been the academy’s President's Student Service Award and the Outstanding Academic Excellence Award.
While it’s unclear when Ellis began dating Dunlap, she posted images of the two together at the University of Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium in September 2023.
That was followed two months later with Dunlap returning the favour by posting some of his own images of the pair on his Instagram account and writing: “Capping off 23’ on a high note.”
Since then, it appears their relationship has only grown deeper, with Ellis reportedly having flown to California on the Saturday of The American Express to be with him during the final round.
When she landed, Dunlap was apparently waiting for her at the airport shortly after his 60 left him in with a chance of becoming the first amateur since Phil Mickelson in 1991 to win a PGA Tour event.
