Joel Dahmen is a surprise co-leader with Rory McIlroy after 36 holes of the U.S. Open at The Country Club – and he was contemplating skipping the qualifier.
Dahmen, 34, is one of three players to shoot 68 or better in both rounds, finishing the first round one off the lead after a 67, before backing it up with a 68 on Friday. Hayden Buckley and Aaron Wise both posted a pair of 68s, and are one stroke off the lead in a tie for third.
In his second trip around the course, Dahmen had a strong front nine, birdieing the first hole as well as the fifth and eighth, with a bogey on the second. He started the back nine poorly, with a bogey on 10, but followed it with seven pars and a long birdie putt.
Speaking to the media after his round, he confirmed the story that he almost pulled out of the qualifier where he punched his ticket.
"There was a lot of discussion leading up to it, yeah, the prior week," he said. "I told my wife I wasn't going to do it.
"Then I was tired at Memorial and said I wasn't going to do it. I was never really going to do it until I… sort of played better at Memorial and the game was there.
"My coach, Rob Rashell, came out and things started to trend in the right direction. And then [my caddie] Geno [Bonnalie], I felt bad because he didn't switch his flight when he could have got home Sunday night, so at that point I had to stick it out."
Clearly, he is thrilled with his decision.
"I'm incredibly happy now for sure," he said. "I mean, sometimes you take for granted what you have out here a little bit.
"I think this is my eighth or ninth major championship, and you think not long ago I would have done a lot of things to play in one, and to think that I have an opportunity just to skip one, kind of looking back, even this whole week, you don't appreciate really.
"I've played 130-odd events. I've been six years out here. It's easy to get in a lull and be like, you just go home for two weeks and hang out and everything is all hunky-dory, but when you get here, everything changes as soon as you get on property.
"It's a USGA event. It's huge. People everywhere. So, yeah, that changes your mind pretty quickly."
After finding some form recently, Dahmen said he is starting to encounter fans who know who he is – something he does not believe will ever feel normal.
"It is unbelievable to me how many people know my name or yell for me out there," he said. "It's weird.
"I'm getting recognized a little bit more off the golf course – my wife will look at me, like, what is happening?
"It's not normal. I don't know if I'll ever get used to it, but it comes with good golf."
Scheffler charges dropped after arrest at PGA Championship
Scottie Scheffler has had all charges dropped after his arrest before the second round of the PGA Championship earlier this month.
The world number one was arrested after play was delayed at Valhalla Golf Club due to a traffic incident outside the course, with one person left dead from the incident, which did not involve Scheffler.
It later emerged the American had been charged with second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signals from an officer.
Louisville Metro Police Department said a bus had struck and killed a pedestrian in the incident, which Scheffler was reportedly attempting to navigate to enter the course.
Scheffler asserted the situation was a "big misunderstanding" following his arrest on May 17, which Jefferson County Attorney Mike O'Connell agreed with after reviewing the evidence.
O'Connell said Scheffler's actions did not "satisfy the elements of any criminal offence", while the golfer's attorney Steve Romines confirmed his client would not file a civil lawsuit.
"We are pleased the case was dismissed today," Romines told reporters as the attorney said Scheffler wanted to focus on his golf, rather than the incident after the court case was closed.
Scheffler posted a five-under-par 66 on the Friday of his arrest but finished tied for eighth as Xander Schaffuele triumphed for his first major glory.
Zandre Roye and Mattea Issa claim National Amateur Golf titles
Zandre Roye and Mattea Issa were crowned national amateur golf champions on Sunday at the Caymanas Golf Course in St. Catherine after three challenging rounds.
Both golfers are first time champions. Issa won by seven shots while Roye won by four after posting his best score in the final round.
Roye matched his first round four birdies but only had two bogeys to close the round on two under par 70 after scoring one under 35 for the front nine and another one under par 35 for the back nine.
His birdies came on holes number two, six, seventeen and eighteen while the bogeys were on holes four and sixteen. His three-round scores were one under par 71, five over par 77 and 70 for a total of three over par 219.
He was pleased with copping his first national championship after getting close on several occasions.
“Coming into this tournament year after year and seeing the trophy and wondering when I am going to get my name on it and its just my time now," he said.
“The course conditions were a little bit tricky out there with it being so dry but we are used to the conditions. I think I manage the game today out of all three days, pretty well. The putting was just not there this weekend but I hit a lot of greens and that helped a lot,” Roye added.
2022 national champion Oshae Haye moved from third place on the first and second day to end the in second place, four shots behind Roye. Haye posted scores of three over par on day one and two respectively and one over par 73 on the final day for a combined score of seven over par 223.
Junior golfer Trey Williams performed very well in the championship after taking over the lead at the end of the second round with a one under par 71 but was pegged back in the final round with four over par 76 in the third round. His total score of eight over par 224 included 77 in the first round, to be one stroke off the runner-up spot.
First time national female champion Mattea Issa got the better of many-time national champion Jodi Munn Barrow to win by seven shots.
Issa's final day scorecard showed three birdies, six bogeys and two double bogeys for seven over par 79.
Her first and second round scores were nine over par 81 on each day for a combined score of 25 over par 241. Munn-Barrow's scores were 84, 81 and 83 for a total of 32 over par 248, for the runner-up spot.
"It feels really good. I am really happy. I am very happy for the win but diving deeper more into my game I wish I have played better. I have been playing really well recently and I am not sure if it’s the combination of the conditions, it’s very dry at the moment, the greens are in the best shape so I just have to figure out how I can properly play the course because I know that everybody had a difficult time this weekend. So, I just have to analyze that and keep on progressing and keep on getting better," said a very pleased Issa.
Another former national champion Sean Morris copped the trophy for the national senior champion on the back of scores of 84, 74s and even par 72 to close the championship at 12 over par 228.
The national super senior champion was Keith Stein 227 (78, 71, 78). Philip Prendergast 232 (72, 82, 78) bagged the runner-up spot while former Jamaica Golf Association (JGA) president Wayne Chai Chong 235 (85, 76, 74) was third.
Munn-Barrow, the current JGA president praised the players for their performances.
“What we saw was very good performances from all of our juniors in all of the various categories. So, it was a good week, the only disappointment for this week was the lack of sponsorship of our national event. I am hoping that next year we can get sponsorship so we can have an even bigger and better event.”
PGA Tour winner Murray dies aged 30 after withdrawing from Charles Schwab Challenge
PGA Tour winner Grayson Murray has died aged 30 after withdrawing from the Charles Schwab Challenge.
The two-time Tour champion withdrew from the tournament in Fort Worth, Texas during his second round on Friday due to illness.
Murray, who won his second title at this year's Sony Open in Hawaii, passed away on Saturday as the Tour confirmed the news through an organisational statement.
"We were devastated to learn – and are heartbroken to share – that Grayson Murray passed away this morning. I am at a loss for words," wrote Tour commissioner Jay Monahan.
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