Give credit to Joel Dahmen and caddie Geno Bonnalie. They were good sports when Dahmen, the No. 96-ranked player in the world, was incorrectly introduced at the WM Phoenix Open. (And, no, this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened, but more on that later.)
The par-3 16th at TPC Scottsdale is one of the loudest and rowdiest holes in golf, and this week they’ve had an emcee introduce players as they come through. But the announcer hit a snag when Dahmen stepped to the tee on Wednesday.
“Next, on the 16th hole…,” the announcer began. That’s when the trouble started.
“…turned pro back in 2011.” (Nope, 2010.)
“He’s a four-time PGA Tour winner.” (Nah, Dahmen has won just once.)
This is when Dahmen and Bonnalie realized something was up (photo below). Their look was equal parts confusion and intrigue — they probably wanted to see which player they were being confused for. The clues started adding up. So did the laughter.
“Member of the 2020 Ryder Cup.” (Sadly, Dahmen didn’t make the squad.)
“And he loves hunting and college football.” (This might be true, but who is to say?)
“Please welcome the Georgia Bulldog himself,” — no, University of Washington is the right answer here — “Mr. Harris English.” (Annnnd wrong again.)
Dahmen and Bonnalie gamely played to the crowd, perhaps because they’re getting used to this type of treatment. At the Sentry Tournament of Champions last month, Dahmen was mistaken for a fan while taking a shuttle to the golf course.
As GOLF.com’s managing editor, Berhow handles the day-to-day and long-term planning of one of the sport’s most-read news and service websites. He spends most of his days writing, editing, planning and wondering if he’ll ever break 80. Before joining GOLF.com in 2015, he worked at newspapers in Minnesota and Iowa. A graduate of Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minn., he resides in the Twin Cities with his wife and two kids. You can reach him at joshua_berhow@golf.com.