Alabama native Nick Dunlap will tee off for the first time as a professional golfer at 12:21 p.m. CST Thursday on Hole No. 1 at the Pebble Beach Golf Links in the opening round of the PGA Tour’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

But in a way, he’s played here before.

“It’s pretty special,” Dunlap said on Wednesday. “I remember playing this place on the old PGA Tour PlayStation game, so to be out here and to see it for the first time, it’s pretty cool.”

Dunlap is paired with Xander Schauffele for his first professional round, one week after the Crimson Tide golfer decided to become a member of the PGA Tour, an opportunity he earned when he became the first amateur to win on the golf circuit since 1991. Dunlap finished first in the American Express tournament on Jan. 21.

“Happy to be here,” Dunlap said, “and it’s better than being in class.”

But that doesn’t mean Dunlap is through with the University of Alabama.

“I’m trying to figure out what I’m going to do with school moving forward,” Dunlap said, “whether that’s take a couple of classes or drop for the semester. I’m still kind of working through that. But we’ll see.”

Dunlap didn’t envision joining the PGA Tour through a battlefield promotion. The 2023 U.S. Amateur champion thought he’d earned his Tour card through the PGA Tour University program, but he’s had a whirlwind week to transition from college star to pro rookie.

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“Hectic, but also really cool,” Dunlap said. “I’ve had numerous moments where you just kind of have to try to take it all in. It’s overwhelming, but also I’ve dreamed of doing this my whole life – playing golf on the PGA Tour – and to finally be here and to be able to do that as a 20-year-old is pretty cool. …

“Turning professional, I thought, through the PGA Tour University, I would have a couple of months to figure out my path and figure out everything outside of professional golf because now I’m learning how much there is outside of that. But to do it all in six days has been a little much, but it’s also been a lot of fun.”

As one of the new Signature Events on the PGA Tour, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am features a stacked field that includes nine of the top 10 players in the Official World Golf Rankings. As a limited field event, the tournament does not have cut, so Dunlap will play four rounds in his first PGA Tour outing as a pro.

The Golf Channel will provide live televised coverage of the first round from 2 to 6 p.m. Thursday. Peacock also will carry the coverage.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.