Joel Dahmen Becomes Unlikely Hero At Sony Open After His Missed Putt Helps 17 Players Make The Cut

The one-time PGA Tour winner has been hailed a 'man of the people' after a missed birdie putt inadvertently saved several players from missing the cut

Joel Dahmen at the 2023 Sony Open.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

A missed birdie putt on Friday has made Joel Dahmen an unlikely hero at the Sony Open in Hawaii.

The 36-year-old American found himself dangerously close to the cut-line during his second round at Waialae Country Club, but would narrowly make the weekend thanks to a three-under 67. 

And after missing a very makeable five-footer for birdie on his final hole of the day, so did 17 other players as Dahmen’s miss ended up moving the cut-line from three-under to two-under.

Video of Dahmen’s miss on the par-5 ninth was posted on X/Twitter, prompting the man himself to joke: “I should have a lot of dinners coming my way!”

Dahmen received wide praise for his inadvertent act of generosity, with fans jokingly labeling the one-time PGA Tour winner a “hero” and a “man of the people”.

Michael Kim, who was one of the players who made the cut thanks to the miss, also got in on the action with a light-hearted tweet reading: “Par on the last hole to keep the cut at -2. I owe you beers next time I see you. I take back every bad thing I said about you.”

The other players who made the cut at two-under thanks to Dahmen included: Brandon Wu, Garrick Higgo, Nick Hardy, Eric Cole, Seamus Power, Corey Conners, Martin Trainer, Parker Coody, Denny McCarthy, Davis Thompson, Tyler Duncan, Hideki Matsuyama, Adam Svensson, Matt NeSmith and Lanto Griffin.

At the other end of the leaderboard, Carl Yuan, Austin Eckroat and Byeong Hun An took a share of the lead into the weekend at nine under, with 10 players a shot back at eight under.

Defending champion Si Woo Kim is four shots behind the leaders at five under.

Joel Kulasingham
News Writer

Joel Kulasingham is freelance writer for Golf Monthly. He has worked as a sports reporter and editor in New Zealand for more than five years, covering a wide range of sports including golf, rugby and football. He moved to London in 2023 and writes for several publications in the UK and abroad. He is a life-long sports nut and has been obsessed with golf since first swinging a club at the age of 13. These days he spends most of his time watching, reading and writing about sports, and playing mediocre golf at courses around London.