PGA Tour winner Joel Dahmen is in the 2026 WM Phoenix Open field this week after the popular figure's cheeky exemption-request method paid off with tournament organizers.

Dahmen, who subsequently booked his spot at TPC Scottsdale anyway via a top-10 finish in the Farmers Insurance Open on Sunday, had written to WM Phoenix Open chairman Jason Eisenberg in the weeks prior to Thursday's start asking to be granted with an eighth appearance into 'The People's Open.'

But it was not just an ordinary letter inside an envelope that the Scottsdale resident personally brought to Eisenberg's office.

First reported by CBS Golf analyst Colt Knost and confirmed by the 2021 Corales Puntacana Championship winner in an Instagram story, Dahmen instead chose to stick his well thought-out request to one of his polo shirts in a nod to the iconic celebration on the Stadium Course's 16th hole back in 2022.

Playing alongside Harry Higgs as two of the back-markers on the leaderboard at the time, Dahmen's buddy rolled home a par putt in front of up to 20,000 fans and duly pulled his shirt up over his head.

Moments later, Dahmen removed his polo completely and waved it in a circular motion as cans of beer rained down from the stands onto the duo and their caddies.

Speaking in an episode of Full Swing which touched on the moment, the 38-year-old revealed he was "yelled at" by the PGA Tour, but stopped short of confirming he was fined despite Higgs suggesting the pair were likely to face sanctions at the time.

Regardless of how the PGA Tour viewed the situation, it endeared both Higgs and Dahmen to fans worldwide - even before Dahmen's incredibly powerful episode on Full Swing.

More than three years later, Dahmen has enjoyed and endured several big changes in his life including welcoming two babies with his wife Lona, splitting up with long-time caddie Geno Bonnalie and losing his full PGA Tour status.

But, as he looks to recover his full place on the historic US circuit, Dahmen discovered last Friday that he would definitely be lining up at the WM Phoenix Open this week.

In a statement from the tournament which revealed Dahmen, Charley Hoffman and Sahith Theegala as the three chosen players to receive a sponsor's exemption, Eisenberg said: “The WM Phoenix Open is built on elite competition, personality, and energy, and this group embodies all three.

“Sahith’s history at this tournament speaks for itself, Joel is one of the Tour’s most popular and authentic competitors, and Charley’s long-standing connection to both WM and this event makes this a special group to welcome back to TPC Scottsdale.”

As far as the contents of Dahmen's exemption-request letter goes, the University of Washington alumnus reiterated his understanding that removing clothes in public is wrong and said he would be "honored" to take part in one of the stand-out stops on tour.

He also stated that, if successful with his appeal, "I can confidently say I plan to keep my shirt on at all times, unless directed otherwise by the Thunderbirds [tournament hosts]."

Fans will be able to see whether Dahmen is true to his word when the action begins at TPC Scottsdale on Thursday.

Joel Dahmen says he and former caddie Geno Bonnalie remain best friends as he explained the reason for the pair's split.

Dahmen and Bonnalie rose to fame via Netflix's Full Swing docuseries and officially split after last month's Scottish Open following a 20-year working relationship and six professional victories.

Dahmen has missed 11 of 20 cuts this season but has posted T17 and T39 finishes since switching loopers.

He had Brian Frazier on the bag at the Barracuda Championship and then his instructor and Oregon State men's golf head coach Jon Reehoorn at the 3M Open.

The switch appears to have paid off, with Dahmen carding a 61 to open the Wyndham Championship. The Washington man made 10 birdies and a solitary bogey to lead after round one with a score of nine-under-par.

He sits 101st in the FedEx Cup standings and needs a runner-up finish with no more than two other players to reach the Playoffs, which begin next week.

After his stunning opening round, he explained that he and former caddie Bonnalie remain best friends and also said he expects to see the caddie back out on tour soon.

"Man, I love Geno. We still text almost daily. He's doing well," Dahmen said.

"Yeah, I mean, I miss him but sometimes the hardest - you have to do something hard to - look, it wasn't an easy decision. I won't say I'm not happy about it but like it's hard.

"He's my best friend, he's still my best friend. But I had to change something with me. It was more about me. It was my mentality, it was what I was doing and I need to take ownership of what I was doing.

"I was not doing a good job of that. So a way for me to do it is as simple as just playing golf on my own a little bit.

"So yeah, I love him, I miss him. I think we'll see him out here again soon."

Joel Dahmen was penalized four strokes during round one of the Shriners Children's Open after he discovered that there were 15 clubs in his bag.

The age-old rule states that players must carry a maximum of 14 clubs in their bag, and Dahmen realized he had one more than the rules allowed on his fourth hole.

It meant he had to add two shots on to each of his first two holes, with the penalty being two strokes for each hole he carried 15 clubs with a maximum of four strokes. That turned his par-par start into back-to-back double-bogeys, which dropped him to four-over-par for the round.

According to former PGA Tour pro and current NBC analyst Smylie Kaufman, it was Dahmen's 4-iron that was the rogue 15th club.

It reminds us of Ian Woosnam's infamous mistake in 2001 when he also discovered a 15th club in his bag, coming on the 2nd hole of the Open Championship final round at Royal Lytham and St Annes after birdieing the 1st to tie the lead. It cost him two strokes and saw him ultimately end up four back of David Duval.

Luckily for Dahmen, the rules error didn't come in as big a moment as the former World No.1 but his four-stroke penalty leaves him plenty of work to do to make the cut.

Explaining the situation immediately afte turning in a five-over-par opening round to trail leader Taylor Pendrith by 15 strokes, Dahmen said: "Bizarro. Never happened to me before. I travel with 15-16 clubs, most people out here do pending conditions and courses.

“You know, I've been traveling out here for a long time and it's never happened before. I would like to blame (caddie) Geno [Bonnalie]. That would be the easy thing to do, but it’s not his fault, either. I played Tuesday and Wednesday out here. We didn’t see it in there. It was an extra 4-iron, so I had two 4-irons in the bag.

“We got to the fourth tee, I grabbed a water and I walked over to my bag and I saw a 4-iron that was in the wrong spot. And our stuff is always in the right spot. And it wasn’t in the right spot.

"You just want to get so mad at everything, but at the same time, you've got to just keep playing golf and I didn't do a great job of that afterwards. It's tough to refocus, and I shot one-over still - if you take those penalties away - which is not very good out here today.

So, it's frustrating, disappointing, but if you play golf long enough, weird stuff is going to happen out here."

The 2021 Corales Puntacana Championship winner is currently struggling for form with just one top-10 this year and is on a run of four missed cuts in his last seven tournaments.

He is right on the 125 bubble in the FedEx Cup fall and needs a strong showing over the next four tournaments, not including this week, to secure his card for 2025, otherwise he'll only have conditional status.

Despite the situation, Dahmen remained a charming realist and acknowledged that the fact people were out there donating to his foundation helped him understand he will have better days moving forward.

He continued: "I had a lot of people out here today, supporting our family foundation, so it was one of those moments where you like want to lose it and you want to get mad, be mad at yourself, be mad at Geno, be mad at the world.

“But you look around and people are donating a bunch of money to our foundation and life is not that bad. It’s a mistake. It’s going to happen. It's one of those where you kind of live and learn.

"Geno feels terrible, I feel terrible, but we're going to tee it up tomorrow morning and try to make a bunch of birdies!"

What is the Rule for carrying 15 clubs?

Golfers can carry a maximum of 14 clubs in their bag. Once you discover you have breached the rule, you must immediately take the excess club out of play.

The penalty for carrying 15 clubs:

Penalty in Stroke Play: Two strokes, with a maximum of four strokes

You get the general penalty (two penalty strokes) 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).

The procedure for taking a club out of play is as follows:

When you become aware during a round that you have more than 14 clubs, you must immediately take an action that clearly indicates each club that you are taking out of play, with the USGA suggesting advising another player or turning the club upside down in your bag.

A breach in match play is a match adjustment penalty, where the score is revised by deducting one hole for each hole where a breach happened, with a maximum deduction of two holes in the round

Read more on Rule 4 - The Player's Equipment.

The second season of Netflix golf-documentary series, Full Swing gave fans a behind-the-scenes view of some of the sport's most memorable moments during the 2023 campaign.

From the Ryder Cup to one of the more controversial US Opens at Los Angeles Country Club, the streaming platform's cameras showed what some may have preferred to stay hidden as well as the warts-and-all reaction of players to a variety of different scenarios.

But one moment from last year garnered a degree more reaction than most, and as a result it required a bumper slot to tell the full story. 

In the first couple of 'Full Swing' episodes, titled: The Game Has Changed: Part One/Two, a handful of PGA Tour pros react to the news that PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has performed a potentially historic u-turn and announced the US-based circuit has entered into a framework agreement with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund - backers of rival tour, the LIV Golf League.

The decision arrived not too long after Monahan had claimed "we will never work with LIV" while appearing to remain steadfast in his belief that the PGA Tour could continue to grow without additional support.

Rory McIlroy - who features heavily in Season 2 of Full Swing - said: "What happened? How did you get from not knowing this guy (Yasir Al-Rumayyan) and not meeting this guy to signing what is probably the biggest deal in the history of professional golf? What happened?

“You’re telling us that these guys (LIV) are almost like the enemy to you’re partnering with them. It’s a hard one to swallow."

What made the announcement even more shocking and upsetting for McIlroy is that it came at a time where he was chairman of the Player Advisory Council on the PGA Tour board and had regularly defending his circuit by taking shots at LIV.

Meanwhile, his quest for Major number five continued to elude him.

McIlroy continued: "I’m like, 'why did I just waste 12 months of my life to fight for something that was always going to come back together again?'

“There is a palpable vibe of confusion and anger because we have very little information now apart from basically entered into an agreement, don’t know what that agreement is going to involve."

Elsewhere, two of Team USA's key players shared their surprise at the decision.

Collin Morikawa asked: “What the f*** just happened? Just chaos.” And Justin Thomas said: “What the f***?

"There’s clearly more to this other than 'it’s just a merger.' Nobody knows anything and there’s just so many unanswered questions. And I’m just trying to get answers like everybody else.”

Fan favorite from Season 1 of Full Swing, Joel Dahmen, shared his disbelieving response. He said: “What is happening? This is really weird, literally flipped 180.

"Monahan flipped 180, they did it in secrecy, they didn’t tell anyone, there was no votes, there was nothing.”

Offering some composed reaction to the June 6 agreement in the days after, McIlroy pointed out that a lot of the players' grievance was born out of not knowing it could be happening and also finding out it was happening at the same time as everyone else.

McIlroy said: "It was all sprung on us so quickly, everyone was blindsided by it and I think that created a lot of anger and a lot of confusion amongst the tour membership.

"Jay realised pretty quickly that the rollout of it could have been handled better.”

Joel Dahmen What's In The Bag?

American Joel Dahmen became an overnight sensation after he was featured in an episode of the Netflix documentary, “Full Swing”. Dahmen and his caddie/best friend Geno Bonnalie captured the hearts of golf fans and the show catapulted Dahmen (and Bonnalie for that matter) from just another member of the tour to one of the most recognisable and popular figures in golf. 

Dahmen’s personality makes him easy to root for, and he’s had some success on the PGA Tour with 25 top ten finishes and one win to date, which came at the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship in 2021 and has shown the ability to consistently produce high-level golf over a number of years now. He makes a lot of cuts and his best finish in a Major to date is a tied-10th finish at the 2020 PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park. So what does he put into his equipment setup out on Tour? Below we take a look. 

Joel Dahmen What's In The Bag?

Driver

What Driver Does Joel Dahmen Use?

Dahmen is currently using a Ping G430 LST driver with a 9° head adjusted up half a degree to 9.5°. It's fitted to a Mitsubishi Diamana TB 60 TX shaft. This is one of the best drivers we have ever tested. It earned the full five stars from our reviewer who described it as “A hugely impressive driver that does a great job of balancing distance with consistency. This is a low spin driver with a truly broad appeal that has the high tech looks and powerful feel to match the all round performance.”

Fairway Wood

What Fairway Wood Does Joel Dahmen Use?

Dahmen was using a Ping G425 Max three wood but has upgraded to the G430 Max model. It has a stated loft of 15° but the American has previously lofted down to 13.5° so we assume this is still the case. The G430 Max is a 2023 model and it tested excellently for us. It’s long yet easy-to-use and we really enjoyed its versatility and high launch characteristics. His shaft of choice is the Project X HZRDUS Black 80 TX.

Hybrid

What Hybrid Does Joel Dahmen Use? 

This is one of the most interest clubs in the American’s bag. Whereas many golfers carry a 5-wood now, Dahmen is still using a hybrid that has been in his bag for a very long time. The Ping Anser hybrid is over a decade old now but Dahmen won’t be without it, and on his website he calls the club 'my baby'. It has 20 degrees of loft and a Ping Anser TFC 800D shaft.

Irons

What Irons Does Joel Dahmen Use? 

While he mixes up the rest of his bag, when it comes to irons Dahmen has an equipment deal with PXG. He uses a PXG 0317 ST 4-iron and then the rest of the set is made up of PXG 0211 ST irons from 5-PW. All of his irons are fitted with Dynamic Gold X100 shafts. 

The PXG 0211 ST blades are triple forged, solid-body irons that provide exceptional feel and workability. These are certainly a model for the better player as the inconsistent ball striker will be needing something much more forgiving, but if you are a flusher this is a club that will very much suit your taste. The ball flight is quite flat, which suggests that faster swingers will get the most out of these irons. Golfers looking for a little more speed and forgiveness can opt for the equally impressive 0211 DC model. 

Wedges

What Wedges Does Joel Dahmen Use?

Until this year, Dahmen had carried three PXG 0311 Sugar Daddy II wedges with 50, 56 and 60 degrees of loft but for 2025 he has changed it up and has made the switch to Titleist Vokey SM10 wedges. He carries three wedges but depending on course conditions he rotates between two 60 degree options that have different bounce and grinds. His other two wedges are with him all the time and SM10 50-8F and a 54-10S (loft adjusted to 55).

Putter

What Putter Does Joel Dahmen Use? 

Dahmen was using an older Odyssey Jailbird putter that became one of the most popular putter designs on Tour over the last 12 months with the like of Rickie Fowler, Wyndham Clark and Keegan Bradley also adopting this style of putter in their bags. He has since switched up to the new Odyssey A.i. One Jailbird Mini DB putter, which is fitted with a Superstroke Zenergy Pistol 2.0 grip.

Ball

What Golf Ball Does Joel Dahmen Use? 

Dahmen uses a Titleist Pro V1x golf ball. This is a ball that delivers in all areas of the game. In our testing we noticed a jump in ball speed off the tee which, combined with a strong flight, offered superb distance without sacrificing any control in the short game.

Apparel & Shoes

What Shoes Does Joel Dahmen Wear?

Joel Dahmen wears True Linkswear Lux Hybrid golf shoe and wears Travis Mathew apparel. 

Joel Dahmen WITB: Full Specs

Driver: Ping G430 LST (9 degrees lofted to 10) with Mitsubishi Diamana TB 60 shaft

3-wood: Ping G430 Max (15 degrees) with Project X HZRDUS Black 80 TX

Hybrid: Ping Anser (20 degrees) with Ping Anser TFC 800D shaft

Irons: PXG 0317 ST (4-iron), PXG 0211 ST (5-PW) all with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts

Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM10 (50, 54 @55, 60) all with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts

Putter: Odyssey A.i. One Jailbird Mini DB

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Shoes: True Linkswear Lux Hybrid

No one goes to watch the golf hoping to get hit by a ball, but when you’re well compensated for taking one to the body, it eases the pain a little – just ask Caleb McGuire.

The spectator was watching a practice round at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York, ahead of this week’s PGA Championship, when he took a blow on his calf.

Moments later, Joel Dahmen, the man responsible for the errant tee shot down the first hole, appeared, and asked McGuire how much a beer cost at the tournament (a whopping $17 as it happens) before pulling out a "crispy" $100 bill – which has got to be better than the usual form of compensation, a signed glove or ball.

"I got your beers today," said Dahmen, who appeared recently in one of the standout episodes of the Netflix documentary, Full Swing. The man from Clarkston, Washington, has recovered from testicular cancer to become a PGA Tour winner, and he’s clearly a fun-loving, generous type.

With over $10.5m in career earnings to his name, the 35-year-old can obviously afford to buy big rounds, and his latest interaction with the crowd will only make him more popular. Quite how many $100 bills the American carries around in his pocket is unclear, but maybe he's having problems with his driver.

For McGuire, that was five beers and a bit of change, although it wasn’t the beer that made the fan’s day, but getting to meet Dahmen. After giving the player a shout out on Twitter, Dahmen responded: "Sorry about that! Hope you enjoyed the beers."

"It was a pleasure just to meet you! We couldn’t stop talking about it for the rest of the day. Go ahead and win this week," replied the wounded golfer, who also shared a picture on Twitter of his bruised leg.

Holding the $100 bill and posing with a couple of beers, it appears McGuire is keeping the bill as a momento, with no evidence to suggest that he bought anything from first aid to treat the wound. Just beer.

While the PGA Tour’s elite compete in the WGC-Match Play at Austin Country Club, another tournament, the Corales Puntacana Championship, takes place in the Dominican Republic at Corales Golf Club.

Last year, Chad Ramey claimed the title ahead of Ben Martin and Alex Smalley and he returns hoping to repeat the feat. If he wins again, he will become the fourth player to successfully defend his title on the Tour this season. 

That would follow the achievements of Max Homa after his Fortinet Championship win, Rory McIlroy after he retained his CJ Cup title and Scottie Scheffler, who won the WM Phoenix Open for the second time in succession last month. Martin returns hoping to improve on that runner-up position last year, but there’s no Smalley this time round.

Ramey is not the only previous winner in the field. Joel Dahmen claimed his maiden PGA Tour win in this tournament two years ago. The World No.100 has endured a difficult run since completing three successive top-10 finishes beginning with the RSM Classic last November, and he will be looking to draw on that winning feeling from two years ago to get back on track this week. Elsewhere, 2018 winner Brice Garnett also plays as he goes in search of his second PGA Tour win.

Belgian Thomas Detry is the highest ranked player at World No.82, and he will be looking to take advantage of the relatively weak field to claim his first PGA Tour victory. 

Despite most of the world's best players competing in Texas this week, there are two Major winners in the field – 2006 US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy and 2013 PGA Champion Jason Dufner. However, at World No.1170 and World No.674, respectively, they are not among the favourites to triumph this week.

In its five years, the tournament has seen three players become PGA Tour champions for the first time, and with over half of the field still looking for its first win on the Tour, there is a reasonable likelihood of another maiden winner holding the trophy aloft on Sunday.

Players are competing for a purse of $3.8m, with the winner earning $684,000 and the runner-up taking home $414,200.

Below is the full prize money breakdown and field for the 2023 Corales Puntacana Championship in the Dominican Republic.

Corales Puntacana Championship Prize Money

Corales Puntacana Championship Field

• Alexander, Tyson
• Atwal, Arjun
• Baddeley, Aaron
• Bae, Sangmoon
• Barnes, Ricky
• Bhatia, Akshay
• Blixt, Jonas
• Bozzelli, Dominic
• Brehm, Ryan
• Brown, Scott
• Bryan, Wesley
• Byrd, Jonathan
• Campos, Rafael
• Chalmers, Greg
• Chappell, Kevin
• Chopra, Daniel
• Clark, Wyndham
• Collins, Cougar
• Compton, Erik
• Cone, Trevor
• Cook, Austin
• Crane, Ben
• Daffue, MJ
• Dahmen, Joel
• Davis, Brian
• Detry, Thomas
• Dufner, Jason
• Duncan, Tyler
• Eckroat, Austin
• Endycott, Harrison
• Ernst, Derek
• Every, Matt
• Gainey, Tommy
• Garnett, Brice
• Garrigus, Robert
• Gerard, Ryan
• Ghim, Doug
• Gligic, Michael
• Gómez, Fabián
• Goya, Tano
• Grant, Brent
• Gribble, Cody
• Grillo, Emiliano
• Guerra, Juan Jose
• Haas, Bill
• Hadley, Chesson
• Haley II, Paul
• Hall, Harry
• Hardy, Nick
• Harrington, Scott
• Hearn, David
• Henry, J.J.
• Hickok, Kramer
• Hicks, Justin
• Hidalgo
• Portillo, Angel
• Higgs, Harry
• Hoffman, Charley
• Hojgaard, Nicolai
• Hubbard, Mark
• Johnson, Richard S.
• Kang, Sung
• Kim, Justin
• Kim, Michael
• Knox, Russell
• Kraft, Kelly
• Lebioda, Hank
• Long, Adam
• Longbella, Thomas
• Lower, Justin
• Martin, Ben
• Matthews, Brandon
• Maxwell, Kyle
• McGirt, William
• McGreevy, Max
• McNeill, George
• Moore, Ryan
• Murray, Grayson
• Nido, Chris
• Noh, S.Y.
• Norlander, Henrik
• Norrman, Vincent
• Novak, Andrew
• Núñez, Augusto
• O'Hair, Sean
• Ogilvy, Geoff
• Overton, Jeff
• Pena, Rhadames
• Pendrith, Taylor
• Percy, Cameron
• Piercy, Scott
• Points, D.A.
• Potter, Jr., Ted
• Ramey, Chad
• Rodgers, Patrick
• Rollins, John
• Roy, Kevin
• Schmid, Matti
• Schwab, Matthias
• Silfa, Hiram
• Stadler, Kevin
• Stallings Jr., Stephen
• Stevens, Sam
• Stroud, Chris
• Stuard, Brian
• Tarrio, Santiago
• Trahan, D.J.
• Trainer, Martin
• Tway, Kevin
• Uresti, Omar
• Van Pelt, Bo
• Van Rooyen, Erik
• Villegas, Camilo
• Wallace, Matt
• Werbylo, Trevor
• Werenski, Richy
• Westmoreland, Kyle
• Wu, Dylan
• Young, Carson
• Yuan, Carl
• Zanotti, Fabrizio

Episode 4 of Netflix's Full Swing docuseries about the PGA Tour features one of the tour's lesser-known but much-loved players Joel Dahmen. Warning - stop reading now if you want to avoid Full Swing spoilers!

Dahmen is a one-time PGA Tour winner and is known for being a very down-to-earth guy but Imposter Syndrome offers a fascinating look inside the mind of what is one of pro golf's most modest and self-doubting players.

It focusses on his home life, with he and wife Lona expecting their first child, his relationship with his caddie Geno Bonnalie and his experience at the US Open, where he records his second ever Major top-10 after briefly holding the lead.

Episode 4 is a real tear jerker, with the American revealing how his life was completely turned upside down when his mother died within six months of being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He was then diagnosed with testicular cancer in his early professional days after somehow finding his way towards the sport's elite level despite the huge tragedy in his life. Dahmen discusses his ordeal with losing his mother and then dealing with cancer and you might just need a box of tissues.

Joel's bag man Geno features a lot in this episode as it's hard to really think about one without the other once you get to know their friendship. They've known each other since they were kids growing up in Washington state and Joel fights back tears when he starts to read out Geno's incredible job application.

"I can't believe I'm getting emotional. That's how much I love Geno"

The story of how Geno became my caddie is interesting," Dahmen explains. "Basically he had this email that he sent to me."

Full Swing then intertwines footage of the pair each reading sections of the letter:

"First off I want to tell you how proud of you I am. Not only do I think you're going to make the big time, I truly believe you're one of the best players in the world.

"That being said, I'd like to officially apply for the position of Joel Dahmen's caddie. I just want what's best for you and I truly believe that you and I would thrive together.

"I already have a plan to get rid of my truck and buy a Honda Civic and modify it to be my house."

"I can't believe I'm getting emotional," Dahmen says in the documentary, holding back tears. "That's how much I love Geno."

"And I hired him, obviously."

The pair clearly have a bond unlike many other player-caddie relationships in pro golf. They are thriving now on the PGA Tour but it wasn't always that way, with Geno revealing that he made just $87 in his first year caddying for Joel.

Geno also explains how much PGA Tour caddies earn, with around $2,000 per week to cover expenses and then anywhere between 7-10% of earnings.

"Joel is definitely different to many of the other golfers out there. Joel is capable of being top 30 in the world I would say, that being said I don't know if Joel wants to be top 30 in the world"

The self-deprecating nature of Joel is shown throughout Imposter Syndrome, where it becomes clear that he just doesn't think he'll ever win a Major or go on to achieve greatness in the game - despite being one of the world's best players.

"Joel is definitely different to many of the other golfers out there," Geno says. "Joel is capable of being top 30 in the world I would say, that being said I don't know if Joel wants to be top 30 in the world"

We also hear from Max Homa at a yard party, who essentially reiterates what Dahmen's views are of his golf ability. "I would say most of my adult beverage nights with Joel and with me yelling at Joel about how good he is at golf and trying to get him to realise it."

"When I retire with golf, no one's gonna remember who I am," Joel says. "I understand that, I'm fine with that. I'm not playing for legacy. Some people will be like ,'Well that's why you'll never be great because you don't believe it.'"

US Open

The episode follows Joel and Geno at US Open Final Qualifying, which he wasn't even sure about entering. He eventually makes it through after a poor opening 18, some White Claws at lunch and then a brilliant second round to take one of the 13 spots.

Joel doesn't even seem sure of playing the second round, but he catapults himself up the leaderboard to book his spot at Brookline for his third appearance in the USA's national open.

From qualifying into the event, Joel then goes on to tie the halfway lead the US Open and we follow him throughout the week.

"Am I ready to win a Major? I don't know if I'm good enough," he says. "I need a lot of stars to align in one week."

"It wasn't long ago I wasn't gonna qualify and now I'm here and I've kinda said this multiple times that I'm pretty good at golf. I always believe that but I probably need to believe it a little more. So maybe I'll start speaking it out loud more often."

Joel doesn't go on to win the US Open but he does win over $400,000 and both he and Geno will win a huge amount of fans after this episode.

Imposter Syndrome might just be the best episode yet.

Full Swing Season 1 Episode 4: Imposter Syndrome

• Episode length: 42 minutes
• Synopsis: Ahead of the U.S. Open, fun-loving and self-deprecating Joel Dahmen must embrace growing responsibilities if he wants a place as a top professional golfer.
• Main cast: Joel Dahmen, Geno Bonallie, Lona Dahmen, Max Homa
• Tournaments featured: US Open qualifying, US Open

Joel Dahmen's story is an extremely inspiring one, with the American recovering from testicular cancer to becoming a PGA Tour winner.

Get to know the star better with these facts...

Joel Dahmen Facts

1. Joel Dahmen was born on November 11th 1987 in Clarkston, Washington.

2. Dahmen's mother, Jolyn, was a high school basketball player.

3. The American was a two-time state golf champion at Clarkston High School in Washington, and played one year for the Washington Huskies (University of Washington).

4. Growing up, Dahmen played point guard for his basketball team, as well as quarterback for his American Football team.

5. The American turned professional in 2010, plying his trade on the PGA Tour Canada for four years. During that time, Dahmen was diagnosed with testicular cancer.

6. Dahmen is a big sports fan, with his favorite teams being the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Mariners.

7. In 2016, Dahmen made 13 cuts in 20 events on the Korn Ferry Tour. Consequently, he earned his PGA Tour card for 2017 by finishing 25th on the money list; claiming the card by only $975.

8. His hobbies include cooking and reading, with Dahmen always traveling with a few books.

9. In his rookie PGA Tour season, he finished 176th in the FedEx Cup rankings. Returning to the Korn Ferry Tour finals, he finished 24th to regain his PGA Tour card for the 2017–18 season.

10. Dahmen is married to Lona Skutt, and the couple announced that their first child, Riggs William Dahmen, was born on January 19, 2022.

11. In November 2025, it was announced that the couple had welcomed a new baby boy, Dawson.

12. They live in Scottsdale, Arizona.

13. His home course in Arizona is Mesa Country Club.

14. He shot a 58 at Mesa Country Club in May 2020, where he came home in just 26 shots for the back nine and 12-under for the last 11 holes. That 58 sealed the course record and meant he held the course records at all of his home courses.

15. As a superstition, Dahmen never marks his ball with a quarter.

16. The American is recognized on Tour due to his bucket hat, with Dahmen stating: "It gets hot as hell in Arizona, where I live, so I’ve worn them on and off over the years."

17. He won his maiden PGA Tour title at the 2021 Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship in the Dominican Republic.

18. He was close to a second title at the event four years later, taking a three-shot lead into the final round and still in control with three holes to play. However, he finished with three successive bogeys - including a missed putt by inches at the 17th - as Garrick Higgo won.

19. His long-time caddie had been his best friend, Geno Bonnalie, and the pair were one of the most popular partnerships on the PGA Tour. However, the pair split in July 2025.

20. Dahmen clearly enjoys playing Mario Kart, with his website showing a picture of the popular game under the heading of: Mental Coaching Techniques. "I think this picture speaks for itself," it says on his website. "Is there a better way to get rid of the daily grind than to shoot banana peels and turtle shells?"

21. His best Major results were T10s at the 2020 PGA Championship and 2022 US Open. He has played in three of the four men's Majors, having never played in The Masters.

22. His career-low round on the PGA Tour is a 61, which he has achieved twice, at the 2021 RSM Classic and 2025 Wyndham Championship.

23. He was the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada Player of the Year in 2014.

24. His personal motto is: "Have a lot of fun all the time."

25. Not many people know he can "cook a good breakfast," according to the PGA Tour.

26. He previously lived with five-time PGA Tour winner Nick Taylor for two years after leaving college.

27. He earned a host of new fans thanks to the self-deprecating humor he showed in Netflix docuseries, Full Swing.

28. He has tried his hand at broadcasting, with the player part of the team at the Netflix Cup.

29. He founded the Dahmen Family Foundation, which supports families facing health challenges.

30. His highest world ranking is 58th, which he achieved on October 25th 2020.

Joel Dahmen has played some great golf in his career to date, but he remains on just one PGA Tour victory. The star of Netflix's Full Swing documentary last won in 2021, at the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship, but consistently makes it into the top 125 of the FedEx Cup standings.

He has accumulated plenty of fans over the years, and considerable earnings, but what is Joel Dahmen's net worth? We find out below...

What is Joel Dahmen's net worth?

We start by looking at his tournament earnings, which sit around the $11 million mark. Since the 2017-18 season, he has earned over $1 million a season in prize money, with the American's best year coming in 2019-20, where he picked up $2.1 million. That season included five top 10s, while the American just missed out on bettering that total last year after amassing just under $2 million.

We believe that his biggest pay check to date came in his Corales Puntacana Championship victory, with Dahmen picking up a total of $666,000. He has also claimed top 10s in the US Open and PGA Championship, with the top 10 at the US Open netting him over $400,000.

He currently sits at 195th on the PGA Tour career money list and, because he still has plenty of time left in his career, that number will likely rise.

Away from his on-course earnings, Dahmen has plenty of sponsors, with the American currently endorsed by PXG, Travis Mathew, MGM Resorts International, MD Anderson, Titleist, Crypto Country Club, True Linkswear and Mutual of Omaha.

Although it's unclear how much the deals are worth, Mutual of Omaha does sponsor a number of PGA and LPGA Tour players, with PXG, Travis Mathew and Titleist also used by multiple professionals.

The PGA Tour is one of the most famous sports leagues in the world and the dominant tour in men's professional golf, but did you know that it also runs a number of other tours?

The main PGA Tour is home to the majority of the elite players playing men's professional golf as they aim to win the biggest prize funds and claim the biggest honors in the game, however, its other tours support up-and-coming players, golfers from Canada, Latin America, over 50s and basically anyone who is looking to make it to the big leagues.

Here's a look at the other tours the main PGA Tour operates...

Korn Ferry Tour

This is a US developmental tour in which golfers try and work their way to the PGA Tour. The top 30 players on the season-long standings at the conclusion of the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour Championship will earn a PGA Tour membership for the 2024 season. Events aren’t just exclusive to the United States, with tournaments held in Brazil, Mexico, and Canada amongst other countries.

The Korn Ferry Tour has had a few different names, starting out as the Ben Hogan Tour in 1990, changing names (and sponsors) to the Nike Tour, Buy.com Tour, Nationwide Tour and Web.com Tour.

A number of Major winners have come through the Korn Ferry Tour as money list winners, including Tom Lehman, Stewart Cink, Zach Johnson, Jimmy Walker and, most recently, Scottie Scheffler. 

PGA Tour Canada

This was taken over by the PGA Tour in November 2012, having been originally founded in 1970 and Mackenzie investments became the sponsor of the tour in 2015. It is an international developmental tour and it provides access to the Korn Ferry Tour as a pathway to the main PGA Tour.

A number of players have come through the 'Canadian Tour', as it's known, to the main tour in recent years, including PGA Tour winners JJ Spaun, Joel Dahmen and Mackenzie Hughes.

PGA Tour Latinoamerica

Formed in 2012, the PGA Tour Latinoamerica is another developmental tour run by the PGA Tour that holds events throughout South America and Mexico.

The Order of Merit winner gains a Korn Ferry Tour card, with the rest of the top five earning spots into Korn Ferry Tour Final Qualifying. Places six to 50 go to the stage prior to Final Qualifying.

PGA Tour Champions

Originally named the Senior PGA Tour having been formed in 1980, it settled on its current name of the PGA Tour Champions following the 2015 season. This tour allows golfers aged 50 and over who may have lost the ability to regular challenge at the top on the PGA Tour the opportunity to compete for prizes including the Senior Major Championships.

It features 54-hole tournaments with no cut mainly, aside from the five Senior Majors that are played over 72-holes and 36-hole cuts. Each season, players compete for the Charles Schwab Cup, with Bernhard Langer winning the money list title a record 11 times. Langer has won over $30m on the PGA Tour Champions and 44 titles as of 2023, one shy of Hale Irwin's record.

PGA Tour China

The PGA Tour China was another part of the PGA Tour’s global expansion, although it ceased to exist in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.

It started in 2014 and had five full seasons before shutting down. The tour's top finishers on the Order of Merit earned Korn Ferry Tour status ranging from a full card to the champion to entry into Q-school and some starts for lower finishers.

American Joel Dahmen forced himself into the PGA Tour's winner's circle for the very first time in 2021. His victory came at the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship in the Dominican Republic - and he celebrated in good style with his wife, Lona Skutt.

You can find the whole story of how they met on their wedding website. In short, while waiting to be served in an eatery, Dahmen struck up a conversation and said he would buy Lona a slice of pizza if she got up the line faster than him. 

Dahmen was offered Lona's number and the rest, as they say, is history. After receiving a call from the professional golfer a week later, Lona was soon cancelling her plans to move to New York.

The pair ended up meeting for drinks and going to a friend's barbecue - and they have been together even since. After dating for seven years, they got married in December 2018. 

The Dahmens live in Scottsdale, and in January this year they announced the arrival of their first child, Riggs William Dahmen. He took to Instagram to share a picture of the new baby, who was born on 19 January. 

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Lona has been a great source of motivation for Dahmen, especially after his mother died of pancreatic cancer. Then his brother was diagnosed with testicular cancer, which Dahmen himself survived in 2011. 

It comes as no surprise that Lona travels with him out on Tour. However, with the arrival of the new baby, we can probably expect the couple to be spending a little time away from the course at the start of this year. 

Previously an export coordinator, Geno Bonnalie has only ever caddied for Joel Dahmen, starting the role in 2015 after the golfer earned Korn Ferry Tour status. However, the pair have known each other for nearly 20 years, winning a two-man best-ball tournament in their teens in Idaho where they lived.

After Dahmen won the money list on the Mackenzie Tour, Bonnalie emailed a heartfelt application to Dahmen for the role of caddie, despite earning more in his desk job. 

Bonnalie helped Dahmen work his way onto the PGA Tour for the 2016-17 season, and the partnership is now heralded as one of the funniest pairings in the game.

• 13 Things You Didn't Know About Joel Dahmen
• Joel Dahmen What's In The Bag?

It took until the 2019 PGA Championship though before Dahmen first played at a Major championship, which also happened to be Bonnalie's maiden Major, both as a spectator and as a caddie. 

However, he enjoyed the 2019 Open Championship at Royal Portrush, more, claiming it's his favorite Major to watch. "It's as big as the Masters to me," he said.

The pair enjoyed their first victory together at the 2021 Corales Puntacana. After tapping in from 18 inches for a one-shot victory over Sam Ryder and Rafael Campos, there was an emotional embrace between player and caddie, and the tears flowed. 

Bonnalie also clearly enjoys himself off course, as witnessed through his social media activity. The caddie once created a satirical review of a motel room he stayed in for the US Open after his Airbnb cancelled, while he has also revealed details of how Dahmen pranked him by telling him to go to the airport for a tournament he didn't plan on playing in.

Bonnalie made the headlines at the 2019 Players Championship after taking on the one-chip challenge - where the participant is required to eat a chip with some extremely spicy sauce. While suffering during the challenge, he exclaimed that the pain was worse than when he broke both of his arms at the same time during his teenage years.

Bizarrely, Bonnalie holds a Guinness World Record for the most holes of golf played and most birdies recorded in a single week. He played 2,000 holes, and made 497 birdies at Lewiston Country Club in 2011 to help raise money and awareness for the Cystinosis Research Foundation.

Joel Dahmen has a reputation for not taking himself too seriously. Indeed, as recently as last Sunday, the 34-year-old American – along with his playing partner Harry Higgs – removed his shirt and swung it wildly above his head at the 16th hole of the final round of the WM Phoenix Open. By this point, the party atmosphere at TPC Scottsdale was frenetic enough, but Dahmen went one step further, drinking beer from one of the many beverages that rained down on the pair following the display.

However, 24 hours after creating his “things you can never unsee” moment, Dahmen was back in the spotlight with a proposal that displayed even more front than the events of the day before. Taking to Twitter, Dahmen sent out a cheeky invitation to Rory McIlroy to partner him at April’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Dahmen’s tweet reads: “Hey @McIlroyRory. @Zurich_Classic partners? I promise to keep my shirt on.” Beneath the message is an image of the formal invite with an envelope bearing the 32-year-old Northern Irishman's name.

At the time of writing, the World No.5 has yet to respond to Dahmen, which is perhaps understandable given McIlroy is currently preparing for this week’s Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles. However, we suspect that even with Dahmen’s promise not to go topless, the invitation will be politely declined, not least because the Zurich Classic is a tournament McIlroy has never played.

Still, there’s a first time for everything, and, having already stated he’s aiming for a six-win season, perhaps an extra opportunity for a victory is just what McIlroy fancies to help him achieve his goal. There again, with Dahmen and his equally hilarious caddie Geno Bonnalie to contend with, it might just be safer for McIlroy to sit this one out.

The 16th hole has been the scene of some incredible moments this weekend and, on Sunday, during the final round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open, Harry Higgs and Joel Dahmen gave the fans a display that certainly won't be forgotten anytime soon, as both men celebrated Higgs' 10-foot par putt.

The American, who had flown the green on the iconic 16th, chipped up before rolling in his par putt, with the duo deciding to remove their shirts and celebrate with the 20,000 raucous crowd.

Watch the hilarious video below:

After finding out that the two would be paired together for the final round, Dahmen released a tweet, saying: "Dreams do come true! If we get enough retweets @harryhiggs1991 will take his shirt off on 16 tomorrow!" After rolling in his par putt, Higgs fulfilled his bet.

All of this action from the duo came literally an hour after Carlos Ortiz's hole-in-one at the very same hole! Not only did the 30-year-old make a hole-in-one, but he followed it up with an eagle at the driveable 17th.

Joel Dahmen claimed a frantic and emotional victory at the Corales Puntacana Championship, with a final round 70 enough for his first PGA Tour win.

Joel Dahmen Wins Corales Puntacana Championship

Joel Dahmen had started the day in a share of the lead at the Corales Puntacana Championship with Puerto Rican Rafael Campos but, after a nervy back nine, the American eventually secured his first PGA Tour title.

Starting the day at 10-under-par for the tournament, Dahmen started perfectly, making four birdies in his first seven holes to extend his lead further.

Nearest challenger, Campos, started well himself, making two birdies through his first seven holes to sit two back of Dahmen going into the back nine.

Nerves were starting to show though for the American, dropping a shot at the 11th. He would then drop a further one at the par-5 14th to see his lead evaporate.

With three holes remaining, four players were within a shot of winning; all of them were also in search of their first PGA Tour title.

Canadian Michael Gligic was one of those four. However, he would rue two bogies in his last three holes to drop down into a tie for fourth with Graeme McDowell.

It would be the par-3 17th hole that would be the deciding factor, with Campos making a costly bogey. Dahmen nearly holed his chip for birdie, with a tap-in par meaning he would have a one shot lead down the last.

With both men finding the green with their approach shots, it would be the putting that would decide the Championship.

Related: 13 Things You Didn't Know About Joel Dahmen

Lagging his putt up to a few feet, Campos would have a putt to force a playoff and, with only two feet remaining, it seemed that he had managed it.

But his putt dramatically didn't fall, leaving Campos deflated and Dahmen elated as he tapped in for par and his first PGA Tour victory.

Speaking after his round, Dahmen said: "I was on cruise control today. It's really hard to win golf tournaments. I knew it was hard, but I can't believe how hard it actually is. Thankfully I had a couple of good up-and-downs there on 16 and 17, and I don't know how I tapped in that two-or three-footer there, but thankfully it went in.

Related: Joel Dahmen What's In The Bag?

"I owe a lot to a lot of people. My dad, obviously, he's the best. Rob Rashell back home, my coach, he's been awesome. So, hopefully back home at Lewis & Clark's, you're partying. Mesa Country Club boys, open up the tab, I'll be home next week and this is unbelievable."