Joel Dahmen started the third round of the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational with a bogey. His next 11 holes were much better.
His holes 2 through 12:
No. 2: birdie
No. 3: par
No. 4: birdie
No. 5: par
No. 6: birdie
No. 7: birdie
No. 8: birdie
No. 9: par
No. 10: birdie
No. 11: birdie
No. 12: birdie
If you’re counting at home, that’s eight birdies in an 11-hole stretch. The torrid run vaulted Dahmen 30 spots up the leaderboard and into the top 5 at TPC Southwind. He did it all with a combination of ball-striking mastery and timely made putts. On four birdies, he made putts longer than 10 feet. On the other four, he knocked in putts inside 8 feet.
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Though Dahmen has yet to win a tournament on the PGA Tour (he also never won on the Korn Ferry Tour), he has become a fan favorite in recent years. His Twitter banter and fun-loving attitude has an endearing quality that makes him hard not to root for.
Dahmen teed off well ahead of the leaders on Moving Day, but if he keeps up this pace, he should have a late tee time Sunday as he chases that elusive first victory. Not bad for a guy making his first career start in a World Golf Championship.