Joel Dahmen proving he can handle the pressure on TOUR

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Battling cancer provided perspective. Playing with Tiger Woods proved he can handle pressure.

It’s easy to assume that the winless Joel Dahmen will be overcome with anxiety at 2 p.m. Saturday, when he steps onto Quail Hollow’s first tee alongside a major winner.

Dahmen disagrees.

“I’ve been through life and death,” Dahmen said. “This is not it.”

Dahmen trails Jason Dufner by one stroke at the halfway mark of the Wells Fargo Championship. Rory McIlroy, Patrick Reed Justin Rose and Jason Day are lurking in the top 10, as well.

Winning on the PGA TOUR is life-changing. Cancer, all too often, takes lives. Dahmen hasn’t experienced the former. But is all too familiar with the latter.

His mother died of cancer when he was a junior in high school. He battled testicular cancer in 2011.

Dahmen, 31, is in his third year on the PGA TOUR. He’s been appearing on leaderboards more often as he continues his steady ascent through pro golf.

His 66 on Thursday gave him his third first-round lead in his last five individual starts. He shot the same score Friday.

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Starring on Thursday can only gain a player so much notoriety. Playing with Woods is a different story. That happened at last year’s Quicken Loans National, where Dahmen and his wide-brimmed bucket hat shot 69 to Woods’ 68 in the third round. It was an impressive result considering how he felt on the first tee.

“I wasn’t sure I was going to get the ball in the air,” he said.

Dahmen again showed his steely reserve on the final two holes of this year’s PLAYERS Championship. He’d just birdied 16 and was hanging around the top 10. He still had to face the Stadium Course’s water-lined finishing holes, though.

“If you can finish par-par on those two holes under the gun when it doubles my net worth, that’s some pressure,” Dahmen said. “It doesn’t get much more than that.”

He managed to make those two last pars on Pete Dye’s penal design and earned $253,125.

Coming from a small town in eastern Washington, surviving cancer and toiling for five years on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada has given Dahmen a unique perspective. He admits that he doesn’t practice as much as his peers. He knows that the world’s best play at a different level than him, but he’s not dying to trade places with them, either. He’s content with his lot. He enjoys traveling the TOUR with his wife, Lona, who documents their meals on Instagram.

“I love this game. It gives me a great career, a great life,” he said. “I don’t really care about trophies, to be honest. I love competing, but I love money too.

“I’m a kid from Clarkston, Washington, who’s on the PGA TOUR. … They give you free food inside. You can hit Pro V1s on the range. That just doesn’t happen where I grew up. You dream of that stuff, but to actually be doing it, … I think I’m probably more appreciative than other people.”

Quail Hollow is playing firm and fast this week, which suits him perfectly. Hitting fairways and greens is his specialty. He’s missed just four fairways and five greens through two rounds.

Dahmen, 31, last won five years ago, on PGA TOUR Canada. That two-win season came after another failed attempt at Q-School that left him despondent. He didn’t pick up a club for a six weeks, and tried to ease the pain by buying a dog. Quitting was never an option, though.

“I didn’t have anything else to do,” said Dahmen, who turned pro in 2010. “I don’t have a degree. I always knew I was good enough. You have to put a lot of time into this. It doesn’t just happen.”

His success in Canada earned him Web.com Tour status. He played there for two years before graduating to the PGA TOUR.

He finished 176th in the FedExCup as a rookie. He was 80th the next season, following his foray with Woods with four consecutive top-15 finishes, including a runner-up at the John Deere Classic. He’s 65th in the standings this season.

“I’m getting better every year,” he said. “I’m getting better weekly.”

And now he has a chance to win on the PGA TOUR for the first time. But he’ll be OK even if he doesn’t.