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On Monday, Golf Channel published an incredible profile documenting the many trials and tribulations Joel Dahmen was forced to overcome en route to punching his ticket to the PGA Tour before cementing himself as a fan favorite thanks in no small part to his appearance on Netflix’s Full Swing.
That article only reinforced the notion Dahmen is an incredibly relatable man of the people, and I’m not sure how you can’t root for the 35-year-old who’s had to grapple with a ton of personal issues while pursuing his dream.
Dahmen is one of the 156 men who headed to California this week to take part in the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club, and while he’s struggled a bit over the course of 2023, I like to think he’ll be able to turn things around after his caddie hooked him up with a fantastic pep talk from the one and only Ric Flair.
It looked like Dahmen had the chance to secure the first major of his career after a couple of stellar rounds at the U.S. Open that was held at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts in 2022, although he was ultimately forced to settle for a tie for 10th place.
It would be a stretch to suggest his play was dramatically impacted by the distraction he was forced to deal with after discovering his car had somehow gone missing after he wrapped up his round on Friday last year, although it probably certainly didn’t make things any easier.
It appears the USGA decided to reference that mix-up at this year’s U.S. Open, as players who arrived at LACC have been directed to bring their cars to Lot A—with the lone exception of Dahmen, who seemed to appreciate the sign he encountered that jokingly informed him to head to Lot F based on the reaction he posted on Instagram after encountering it.
That’s not the only way the organizers of the event have had some fun ahead of the U.S. Open, as Adam Hadwin was greeted by a locker containing a safety vest and a hard hat after he was absolutely rocked by a security guard while attempting to celebrate with Nick Taylor when the latter sunk a clutch putt to secure a win at the RBC Canadian Open.