Joel Dahmen’s PGA Tour card-saving spherical will stay in PGA Tour lore.
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Joel Dahmen says it was “the freakout of all freakouts.”
It arrived, naturally, at 3 a.m. on the day earlier than (the day of, technically) a career-deciding spherical. Not fairly “chilly sweats,” however you get the concept.
However probably the most spectacular piece is what occurred after Dahmen’s “freakout”: The biggest golf comeback of his skilled life.
Maybe you’ve already heard the story of Dahmen’s rally on the RSM Traditional final month, wherein a six-under Sunday 64 clinched his PGA Tour standing for 2025 on the quantity. Dahmen’s spherical that day — 4 birdies, an eagle, no bogeys — was rightfully celebrated, together with the testy six-footer on the 72nd gap that fell into the underside of the cup, pushing him contained in the all-important top-125 on the PGA Tour and granting him full standing for the next season.
However what you didn’t find out about that spherical — the questionable analysis session two nights earlier than that fueled it — makes it all of the extra spectacular.
Dahmen instructed the story on this week’s episode of GOLF’s Subpar, which he says begins with a gap spherical 2-over on the RSM, and the data going to mattress on Thursday night time that his PGA Tour profession may formally be in jeopardy.
“So I went to mattress, I in all probability fell asleep round 10, and I awakened at 2 or 3 a.m., and, like, I wouldn’t say like, night time sweats, however the freakout of all freakouts,” he stated. “I wasn’t going again to sleep at that time. There was no likelihood.”
With sleep not in his future, Dahmen determined to do one thing to fight his terror: He pulled up the PGA Tour’s participant web site and began scrolling. Earlier than lengthy, he’d discovered what he wanted to shoot over the ultimate three days on the RSM in an effort to maintain his PGA Tour card.
“First time in my profession, I went on to Tour Hyperlinks, I clicked on artificial stuff, and I began scrolling round determining what number of factors I wanted and what I wanted to cross,” Dahmen says. “I’m like, I in all probability want [six under]. 5 can be shut. Seven is certainly a lock. So I knew going out that morning that I wanted birdies.”
Dahmen rallied that day to make the lower. However he was only one underneath par for the match when he awoke on Sunday morning, which meant he wanted at the very least 5 birdies throughout his remaining spherical to be ok with his Tour future. As Subpar host Drew Stoltz identified, Dahmen’s resolution to arm himself with concrete expectations ran counter to only about every bit of sports activities psychology recommendation.
“It was like, I knew what I wanted to do,” Dahmen stated.
After which, along with his profession on the road on Sunday afternoon, that’s exactly what Dahmen did, taking pictures the spherical of his life to take care of his PGA Tour life.
“The very last thing I did was give a fist pound to [swing coach Rob Rashell]. I’m going, let’s go make birdies. And he goes, simply be you,” Dahmen stated with amusing. “I used to be like, Effectively, me this yr is 124. Let’s faucet into Joel has had a pleasant profession and is profitable. So I used to be far more calm on Sunday. I used to be like, Man, if I simply play good golf, I do know I can shoot six underneath out right here. And happily, I did.”
To listen to the remainder of Dahmen’s interview with the Subpar gang, together with his hopes for all times on the PGA Tour in 2025, you’ll be able to try the hyperlink beneath.
