Joel Dahmen's 'half-court' putt keeps PGA Tour status alive
Joel Dahmen has managed the stress of securing a PGA Tour victory, but even that didn't compare to the emotional burden he felt facing a 5 1/2-foot putt in Georgia on Friday.
If he missed, Dahmen would miss out on fully exempt status on the PGA Tour for 2025. But if he made it, he would get to continue competing for another weekend.
The 37-year-old steadied his hands to sink the putt and make the cut at 1-under par at The RSM Classic on Sea Island, Ga. Dahmen is currently projected to finish 126th in the FedEx Cup Fall standings, just shy of the top 125 who earn fully exempt status for the following year.
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\"It was a great putt. I was very nervous,\" he admitted after the round. \"But there's still work to do. It wasn't the game-winner, it was like the half-court shot to get us like at halftime. But without that and the way I played today, I wouldn't have anything this weekend.
\"I'm hoping I play great this weekend and I hit 36 greens and I just kind of plod my way around and it's super easy, but that's not the way golf is. Really proud of myself today, but there's still work to do.\"
This season has been a struggle for the winner of the 2021 Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship. Despite reaching a high ranking of 58th in the Official World Golf Ranking, Dahmen has dropped to 240th this year and has only one Top 10 finish in 28 events, with 10 missed cuts.
This week marks his 29th event, including all eight during the FedEx Fall swing as he tries to improve his FedEx Cup ranking. He finished T14 in Mexico two weeks ago, but hasn't placed higher than T40 in the other six events. This includes a missed cut in Bermuda last week, which added even more pressure.
\"You can't escape anything. The room is a little quieter around you. It's like a pitcher throwing a no-hitter this week, it's a little different,\" Dahmen said. \"Once I missed the cut in Bermuda last week, the stress has been high.
\"You lay in bed, try to go to sleep, but it's like you're sleeping on the lead of a major every night. That's kind of what it feels like, but a little more stressful than that.\"
Dahmen's chances of securing exempt status seemed slim after a 73 on Thursday. He started with a bogey on No. 1 and fell to 2 over, but managed to make three birdies over the next 15 holes to set up the crucial putt on 18.
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When the putt went in, Dahmen hugged his wife, Lona, and his playing partner Mark Hubbard joked that the drama during a November round caused him to \"stress drink.\"
\"I'm sorry for them, I'm sorry that they're feeling the way I'm feeling,\" Dahmen said. \"I know my wife has been stressed. I have a lot of great people around me and so it's hard on them, but it's just because they love me and they care about me.
\"I mean, the job's not done. ... We have two more steps to go.\"
If Dahmen doesn't improve his standing by at least one spot by the end of the weekend, he will still have conditional status in the Nos. 126-150 category. Regardless, Dahmen -- who gained fame with caddie Gino Bonnali in the Netflix documentary \"Full Swing\" -- said his professional golf journey is far from over.
\"I still have more to write this weekend, for sure, but without the opportunity to play this weekend, my story would be much shorter this year,\" he said. \"Whatever happens this weekend, my story is still not finished. I have a lot left in me and I'm going to give it my all.
\"But this weekend is crucial, for sure.\"
