Joel Dahmen faced a four-stroke penalty during the Shriners Children’s Open because he accidentally carried 15 clubs in his bag.
Golf rules say you can only have 14 clubs, and Dahmen realized his mistake on the fourth hole. This meant he had to add two penalty strokes for each of his first two holes, turning what could have been a good start into double bogeys.
The extra club was a 4-iron, similar to Ian Woosnam’s famous blunder in 2001 when he also found himself with an extra club at a crucial moment.
Unexpected Twists on the Course:
Fans might feel sorry for Dahmen as they watch him struggle to make up for lost ground after this error. After finishing five-over-par in the first round, trailing Taylor Pendrith by 15 strokes, Dahmen reflected on how unusual this situation was for him: “Bizarro. Never happened to me before.” He often travels with more than 14 clubs depending on course conditions but didn’t catch the mistake until it was too late.
He jokingly considered blaming Geno Bonnalie, his caddie, but admitted it wasn’t anyone’s fault. On Tuesday and Wednesday practice rounds, neither noticed there were two 4-irons in the bag. By the time they reached the fourth tee and discovered the misplaced club, it was already too late.
Despite feeling frustrated and disappointed, Dahmen tried to stay focused but found it hard to regain his composure afterward. He said that if you play golf long enough, strange things are bound to happen.
Currently ranked No. 124 in FedEx Cup standings and needing strong performances in upcoming tournaments to keep his card for next year, this mishap couldn’t have come at a worse time for him.
Yet amid all this chaos on the green (see what I did there?), Joel remained positive thanks to supporters donating generously to his foundation. He acknowledged their kindness helped him realize that life isn’t so bad after all—even when things go wrong.
“We’ll tee up tomorrow morning,” Joel shared optimistically about moving forward from this hiccup while aiming for more birdies!
What do you think? Should players be more careful or is it just part of playing golf?
