Joel Dahmen admits to feeling ‘uncomfortable’ and says what took place on the 14th hole of the Corales Puntacana has never happened before

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Joel Dahmen is somewhat of a cult hero to golfing fans the world over.

And his performance at the Corales Puntacana Championship has only served to enhance his status as one of the most popular players on the PGA Tour.

The fact the Dahmen was so open about his vulnerabilities during Netflix’s Full Swing documentary made him incredibly easy to relate to.

The 37-year-old American went against the grain with his opening round of 10-under par 62 at the Corales Puntacana Championship.

Dahmen usually struggles when teeing off in the afternoon and chasing the lead.

And now, he’s in a really strong position to secure what would be only his second PGA Tour win. Coincidentally, the only victory of his career came at the Corales Puntacana Championship, four years ago.

Joel Dahmen ‘uncomfortable’ after what took place at the Corales Puntacana on the 14th

The 37-year-old and his long time friend and caddie Geno Bonnalie are two of the most relatable characters on tour.

Neither of them have had an easy run over the past few years. And there wouldn’t be a more popular winner on Sunday than Dahmen.

So how is the PGA Tour player feeling heading into the final day of the tournament in the Dominican Republic?

Dahmen responded when asked how difficult he found the challenge at Corales Golf Course on the Puntacana Resort:

“It was a challenge, for sure. It’s always tough teeing off with a bigger lead. I feel like I hit some good shots early that didn’t end up in a good spot. Then I screwed up all the easy stuff early, so really frustrating. Felt like I could have really put a big gap there. But rebounded really well after the bogey on 10 and played really good golf coming in. I hit a lot of good shots that, man, we thought were going to get close. And the wind is brutal out there today, it’s all over the place.“

He was then asked about how important the two birdies he made on 12 and 13 were:

“Yeah, huge. Hit an awesome second shot in there into 12 and got it on the green from I think it’s 280 front, and then that two-putt was great. Then to hit a wedge in there to a tough pin on 13 was another good one. I needed something to get going for me, especially because the last three holes are absolutely brutal today as they always are.“

So did Dahmen have a number in mind before he teed off?

“I just, I didn’t have a number, but I knew it was going to play a lot tougher. And the front you can get after a little bit and I didn’t do that, so I was a little frustrated. I just didn’t want to make any silly mistakes. Technically I three-putted two, it was from the fringe.Three-putted four and missed a short one on five and hit a couple sloppy wedges on six and eight and all of a sudden all of my chances for the day, like the good chances are gone. So a little frustrated with the start. I was uncomfortable out there for sure, settled in nicely and I think it showed on the back nine.“

And what did the 37-year-old make of the mental challenge he faced out on the course on Saturday?

“That’s what it is. I was on, jeez, was it 14 maybe and I’m like, I was tired. So much adrenaline out there going, you never feel that when you’re around the lead and I was thinking, man, we have four and a half more holes left. And I was thinking about the holes we have to play and how difficult those holes are and the shots you have to hit, it just requires so much thinking, you can’t let down on one shot out there. A lot more discussions with your caddie out there. It’s not just point and shoot like it was the first couple days, this is just a full grind, and handled it pretty well.“

What a Corales Puntacana win would mean for Joel Dahmen

A victory for Dahmen today would make a monumental difference for him.

The 37-year-old narrowly avoided losing his PGA Tour card last season, but that might not be something he has to worry about anymore.

Dahmen would be given a two-year exemption with a win at the Corales Puntacana Championship on Sunday.

He would also receive a cool $720,000 pay-out, with his caddie in line for around 10% of that amount.

The charismatic PGA Tour star would obviously climb the world rankings too. He’s currently ranked 176th in the world, and a win could well catapult him inside the top 100.

The final round on Sunday may well be the most important one Dahmen has ever played, and golf fans the world over will be desperate for him to do enough to lift the trophy this evening.