Probably no one is playing PGA Tour FedEx Cup Fall He faces more pressure than Joel Dahmen.
Damen, whose popularity has skyrocketed thanks to his Netflix stardom, entered this week's World Wide Technology Championship ranked No. 124 in the FedEx Cup standings. At the end of the year, only the top 125 players will receive their PGA Tour cards for the 2025 season, meaning they must play well until the end to keep their jobs. And after this week's event in Mexico, there are only two more events left, so it's either win or it's gone forever.
Fortunately for the former Washington Husky, Dahmen made a much-needed climb up the leaderboard on Friday. He shot a 5-under 67 with six birdies and only one bogey. He currently sits in a tie for 14th place at 7 under par, just four strokes off the lead at the midpoint of the championship.
More importantly, if Dahmen finishes 14th or lower, he will move up two spots in the FedEx Cup fall rankings from 124th to 122nd. This small increase may not seem like much, but it is actually quite significant. Next year's Top 125 will be determined at the conclusion of the RSM Classic, scheduled for Nov. 21-24 in Sea Island, Georgia, so the slight advantage could help in the long run.
That being said, Dahmen will need to play well over the weekend to maintain his spot in the top 125. But at least he didn't have a spare club in his bag this week, which forced him to miss last month's Shriners Children's Open. Of course, that didn't help his cause in connection with the FedEx Cup elimination. However, Damen made a slight comeback at the ZOZO Championship the following week, moving up from 129th to 124th place. Still, he can't help but feel a tinge of trepidation as the season draws to a close. But more birdies would alleviate that fear, and hopefully for the sake of the world of golf, he accomplishes that over the next 36 holes.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through. Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.
