HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Rarely has a player gained so much in losing as Joel Dahmen did in the Dominican Republic.
Dahmen had a following long before the Netflix “Full Swing” docuseries for being so relatable, honest and self-deprecating about such a hard sport. Five months ago, he had to make a 5-foot putt just to make the cut and then shoot 64 in the final round to keep his card.
So imagine the importance of Sunday at Punta Cana Resort, a three-shot lead with three holes to play. At stake was a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour, a spot in the PGA Championship and so many other perks.
He missed the green with an 8-iron from the 16th fairway for a bogey. He missed an 18-inch par putt to fall into a tie. And then he hit a poor chip and missed an 8-foot par putt to lose.
And then he stood before a camera and bared his soul. His voice was unsteady, his eyes tried to hide the hurt and his words — as always — were very real.
“I think I’m in a little bit of shock, honestly,” he said. “It’s not how you win a golf tournament, I’ll tell you that. I don’t deserve to win it.”
Mike Reid once had a three-shot lead in the 1989 PGA Championship and also missed a tap-in on the 17th hole, paving the way for Payne Stewart to win his first major.
“Sports is like life with the volume turned up,” Reid said that day.
The louder the better, for this is how fans connect.
Rory McIlroy held court in the locker room at Augusta National when he lost a four-shot lead with an 80 in the final round in 2011. Jordan Spieth met with media under the tree at the Masters after losing a five-shot lead in three holes on the back nine in 2016. “It was a really tough 30 minutes for me that hopefully I never experience again,” he said.
Those were majors. Kyle Stanley suffered an agonizing fate at Torrey Pines in 2012 when he lost a seven-shot lead in the final round, took triple bogey on the par-5 closing hole and lost in a playoff to Brandt Snedeker.
“I could probably play it a thousand times and never make an 8,” Stanley said.
Dahmen speaks like fans think, another reason he’s so popular. He started 62-66 — 16-under par — and the winning score was 14 under. He worked out the math himself, another reminder of letting one get away from him.
“When you’re trying to win a golf tournament it does weird things to you,” Dahmen said. “And I did not handle it well today.”
It’s raw. It’s honest. And it can be healing. Stanley won the next week. McIlroy won the next major. Reid never contended in another major. Golf doesn’t owe anyone anything.
Dahmen is playing in New Orleans this week. However he fares, he won’t lack for support. He earned that.
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