PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Joel Dahmen wants everyone who goes out of his way to support him to say, “Okay, Joel,” he’s fine, and thank you.
Darman was unable to win the Players Championship on Sunday at TPC Sawgrass.
But he had a very good week, shooting a 74 in the opening round to go 67-67-68 and finishing tied for 11th place at 12 under, eight strokes behind champion Scottie Scheffler.
A year ago, this result might have felt like a victory for Damen, minus the gaudy trophy and first-place check.
After Damen’s round and the players’ matches were over, his caddy and close friend Geno Bonaly wondered aloud what effect the power of such a successful week would have on the players.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen him having fun on the golf course, and it’s also the first time I’ve seen Joel Dahmen start hitting golf balls in a tournament like this,” Bonaly said. post. “It was fun to watch. Man, it was like a video game. This is probably the week where we really push him to his limits.”
If you’ve watched the Netflix series “Full Swing,” where Damen appeared in episode 3 of this season, you’ll feel like you know him quite well. And you might be surprised that he was still in the elite field this season. Totally a week.
A year after he starred in the series’ first season, where he was portrayed as a unique up-and-comer, and achieved more fame than he could have imagined, Damen’s 2023 story takes an unexpected, if sad, solemn turn. It turned into something.
At least according to Netflix’s story.
Dahmen struggled for most of last season, most notably in June and July when he missed the cut five times in a row and had an emotional moment with Bonaly.
Darman is a lovable character. He’s self-deprecating, relatable, and genuine.
“Someone has to be the 70th best golfer in the world. It could be me,” Dahmen said in the first season of “Full Swing.”
He is currently the 202nd ranked golfer in the world, but he appreciates that he has more fans than anyone else in the sport, perhaps at a lower ranking.
His mother Jolynn died of cancer when Damen was attending college. Damen later survived testicular cancer. He wasn’t the most talented or flashy player in the game, but he recognizes his place in the game.
All of this has made him appreciate everything he has, but his portrayal in this season’s “Full Swing” makes you think he’s coming out of the deep end. You may be able to do it.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been in a situation this bad,” Damen said. “It’s TV, right? It’s been a tough few weeks, but it hasn’t been as tough as people are saying. But I’m in a much better head space.” [public] The response was great. After Season 1 ended, everyone was rooting for me, and now… I’m like, “Everyone’s been doing great since August.” That was a long time ago. ‘
“Season 2 came out about two weeks ago, so people are thinking, [the struggle] But now they’re like, “Joel, I get this,” and I’m like, “No, I’ve been fine for a long time.” I know my golf hasn’t been that great this year, but it feels like…I’m back to my normal self and enjoying golf on the PGA Tour. ”
The turning point for Damen, who was featured prominently on the show, was when Bonaly, his best friend since elementary school, told him a harsh truth.
Bonaly encouraged Damen to seek out some kind of mental coach to help him overcome self-doubt and negative feelings.
Ms. Damen resisted… In July, on a flight from Rocket Mortgage to John Deere, the two had a touching conversation that left them both in tears.
“Drinks were consumed when we returned from charity work, and that’s sometimes when you can have the most real conversation,” Damen recalled of the flight. “We had just come from Detroit and we didn’t want to go to John Deere for the next event, and he said, ‘Look, if you don’t understand this…’
“From that day on, I knew I had to get back to Joel and enjoy golf. I knew I had to stop feeling bad about Geno and myself.”
Damen acknowledged that he needed Bonaly’s strength to be so forceful with him.
“That’s a really tough question. I’m still his boss, so how much ass can I kick before I fight back as his boss,” Dahmen said. “It’s a fine line for him.”
“It was very difficult because not only are we best friends, but he’s my boss,” Bonaly said. It was a conversation that we would have had.” It was very moving. ”
In August, Damen sought help from Chris Bertram, who is more of a performance coach than a psychologist. Endorsed by PGA Tour pro Nick Taylor, Bertram is on Canada’s National Snowboard Team.
“He makes snowboarders do wild, crazy things, commit to doing backflips with 30-foot jumps, so maybe when there’s green grass in front of him, he’s trying to get the number 7. We can figure out ways to help you hit the iron,” Dahmen said. .
Damen gets borderline emotional when he talks about what Bonaly meant to him.
“I don’t know if you can really characterize it,” Damen says. “He is one of the most special people in my life. He officiated at our wedding. He is like an older brother to me (Bonally is four years older than me). ). He cares about me as a person more than any golf shot I hit.”
Damen has also been touched by the support he has received from people in the golf world.
“Everyone was rooting for me and encouraging me and saying, ‘Joel, you got it…Joel, we believe in you,'” he said. “Then I thought, ‘If this bullshit Joe Schmo believes in me, I might as well believe in myself.'”
