ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Joel Dahmen’s longtime caddie, Geno Bonnalie, was waiting as his boss finished a series of emotional interviews.
“Here,” Bonnalie said as he offered Dahmen an adult beverage, “you get one [drink] today.”
Normally on the PGA Tour, making the cut isn’t a reason to celebrate but for Dahmen, who has been the picture of bubble stress the entire fall as he has attempted to remain inside the top 125 on the FedExCup points list to secure his membership for 2025, his 5 ½-footer for par at the final hole Friday at the RSM Classic — to make the cut on the number — meant much more than a weekend tee time.
“It was a great putt. I was very nervous. But there’s still work to do,” said Dahmen, who finished with a second-round 68 and was tied for 49th. “It wasn’t the game winner, it was like the half-court shot to get us like at halftime. But without that and the way I played today, I wouldn’t have anything this weekend.”
Without that par on the final hole of the Seaside Course, Dahmen would have missed the cut and his status for the ’25 season would have been left in the hands of others. Instead, after starting the event at No. 124 in points, he will begin the weekend projected at 126th on the list, but with 36 holes to improve his plight.
Dahmen’s bubble roller-coaster has been a common theme this fall and after missing the cut last week at the Bermuda Championship that left this week’s stop at Sea Island Resort, the fall finale, as his last chance to salvage an otherwise forgettable season.
“I think it’s by far got to be the most [stressful putt of my career],” Dahmen said. “I’ve had other stressful situations, but knowing that’s all on the line for the year was tough. To hit my lag putt to 5 or 6 feet was not great, I was hoping just to walk up and tap that one in. Just made it more stressful. But I think the culmination of everything — this is a long year and hasn’t been the way I wanted it to go — but knowing not having your best stuff you’re still kind of hanging around and to be able to grind it out today was really great.”
Bonnalie and Dahmen’s family were waiting for him after the round and Dahmen admitted the toughest part of a stressful fall has been how it’s impacted those closest to him.
“I’m sorry for them, I’m sorry that they’re feeling the way I’m feeling. I know my wife has been stressed,” said Dahmen as his voice cracked with emotion. “I have a lot of great people around me and so it’s hard on them, but it’s just because they love me and they care about me.”
Wesley Bryan was not as fortunate.
After starting the week at No. 125 on the points list, he missed the cut with rounds of 70-73 and is projected to drop to 127th. Bryan was inside the cut line at 2 under, but played his final six holes Friday in 3 over.
Zac Blair, who started the week at No. 123, also missed the cut and is currently projected at No. 125. Daniel Berger, who is tied for 17th, is projected to jump from 127th to No. 120, and Michael Thorbjornsen, who is tied for fourth, is set to move from No. 138 to 119th, although his status is already secure for ’25 via the circuit’s PGA Tour University exemption.
