Joel Dahmen penalized four strokes for 15th club in bag at Shriners Children's Open
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Joel Dahmen walks the 15th fairway during the first round of the Black Desert Championship 2024 at Black Desert Resort on Oct. 10, 2024, in St George, Utah. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The margins continue to tighten for Joel Dahmen, who is fighting for status in the FedExCup Fall.
Dahmen was penalized four strokes in Thursday’s opening round of the Shriners Children’s Open when it was discovered on the fourth tee that he had more than 14 clubs in his bag. After making routine pars at TPC Summerlin’s par-4 first and second holes, two penalty strokes were added on each hole. His score on each hole was adjusted to double-bogey 6.
"Bizarr-o.," said Dahmen after his round. "Never happened to me before. I travel with 15, 16 clubs. I think most people out here do depending on conditions and courses. I'd like to blame Geno. That would be the easy thing to do. It's not his fault either."
Dahmen self-reported the violation, calling for a rules official after realizing he had a 4-iron in the bag.
"It was an extra 4-iron, so I had two 4-irons in the bag. Why, I don't know. I don't know how it got there. It sucks. It sucks at the spot I'm in as well. You know, you just want to get so mad and you want to get mad at everything."
Per the Rules of Golf "Rule 4.1b(1)" the general penalty (two penalty strokes) is assessed for each hole where a breach happened, with a maximum of four penalty strokes in the round (adding two penalty strokes at each of the first two holes where a breach happened).
Dahmen entered the week at No. 124 on the FedExCup Fall standings, near the bubble’s edge as he fights for status. The top 125 on the FedExCup Fall after The RSM Classic in late November will be fully exempt on the 2025 PGA TOUR; Nos. 126-150 will be conditionally exempt on the PGA TOUR and fully exempt on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Dahmen has made 16 cuts in 25 starts this season, highlighted by a T10 at the RBC Canadian Open in early June. The Washington native has made 205 career TOUR starts, his lone win coming at the 2021 Corales Puntacana Championship. He's assured limited conditional status as a past champion, but this status provides just a handful of starts in a season.
"It's a mistake. It's going to happen. Unfortunately happened at this moment in time. Geno feels terrible. I feel terrible. We'll tee it up tomorrow morning and try to make a bunch of birdies.