Joel Dahmen is one of the most popular players on the PGA Tour. That’s why his career accomplishments always go over well with fans, even if his results this season haven’t been great.
That’s exactly what happened in the first round of the Charles Schwab Challenge, as Dahmen earned the first ace of his PGA Tour career. It took him 225 tournaments to accomplish the feat.
The play came on the 186-yard, par-3 13th hole, the fourth of the round for Dahmen, who started on the 10th tee. The 37-year-old’s tee shot hit a slope on the green behind the pin and rolled back with such luck that it went straight into the hole.
The eagle completed Dahmen’s good run until that point, as he had parred the previous three holes. His joy was short-lived, however, as he added one birdie and three bogeys on the rest of the first nine to end the segment at even par.
This is Dahmen’s eighth appearance in the Charles Schwab Challenge. In seven previous starts, he has made the cut five times and his best finish is a tie for 19th in 2020. His best round at Colonial Country Club is a 65 (second, 2020) and his worst is a 76 (fourth round 2023, fourth round 2024).
The one-time PGA Tour winner has played in 14 events this season and missed eight cuts, including three in a row heading into the Charles Schwab Challenge. He has three top-10 finishes, including a tie for second at the Corales Puntacana Championship, his best finish of the year to date.
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These results have caused him to slip down the FedEx Cup rankings, where he is currently 81st. Dahmen needs to break into the top 70 to return to the playoffs, which he has missed since 2022.
The issue also has a bearing on his status on the PGA Tour. Starting next season, only the top 100 in the FedEx Cup standings will keep their tour card, so the Clarkston, Washington, native must remain in that group.
A member of the PGA Tour since 2017, Dahmen has played 224 tournaments at this level, making 146 cuts, with one victory, three runner-up finishes and 22 other top 10s.
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