SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The man who taped his WM Phoenix Open sponsor exemption inquiry letter to a green polo shirt surely had something interesting in store for fans Thursday at the raucous par-3 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale. Joel Dahmen came through—in several ways.
A native of Clarkston, Wash., Dahmen decided to make a statement by taking off his bucket hat and donning a Seattle Seahawks helmet after hitting his tee shot at the stadium hole. Dahmen made a poor swing and missed the green to the right, so he was a bit sheepish about going through with it. Turns out, he had little choice at the risk of disappointing his caddie.
“Yeah, you know, being a sponsor invite this week, you try to embrace it. It’s my hometown so I love being here, love the event,” said Dahmen, 38, who now makes him home in Scottsdale. “Whether you’re in first place or last place you’re still amped up on 16.
“We were trying to figure out what to do to be subtle but still for the Seahawks, and, yeah, so my caddie, Ben Hulka, he used to be the equipment manager for the Seahawks. He has the official helmet, so he brought that out, threw that on.”
What happened next only added to the occasion. Off a slight downhill lie, Dahmen pitched in from 44 feet for birdie. He raised both arms to the crowd and then pointed his right index finger skyward. For good measure, he tossed hats into the gallery as he left the arena.
CHIP-IN BIRDIE with the Seattle Seahawks helmet in tow. ⚡️😤
Joel Dahmen LIGHTS UP the crowd at the 16th hole stadium! pic.twitter.com/CYW6NQE27f
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) February 6, 2026
Ranked 171 in the world and not fully exempt on the PGA Tour after finishing 122nd on the FedEx Cup points list, Dahmen opened with an even-par 71.
“The only great thing about it was where everyone walked off the greens was kind of matted down instead of fluffy rough, so I could kind of skip one into the hill,” he explained. “It was not the easiest shot, that’s for sure. It was one of those where you hit it over there and you know you’re not in a great spot. When I got there, I thought I could hit a pretty good shot. … hit an unbelievable pitch shot that rolled in like a putt and the environment is really special after that.”
Dahmen’s Seahawks face the New England Patriots on Sunday in Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. Seattle is a 4.5-point favorite, which Dahmen couldn’t believe.
He might want to hang onto that helmet.
“I don’t know why the line is only four-and-a-half. We’re going to win by two touchdowns, I think,” he proclaimed. “There is no way … there is nothing on their team that’s scary for us right now. Unless Drake Maye runs for 150 yards, but I don’t see that happening.
“Seattle as a whole is mostly pessimistic sports fans,” he added. “This optimism we have going into Sunday is very interesting.”
Two touchdowns? Optimism is catching here in the desert.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
