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.
Dahmen is grouped with J.T. Poston and Keith Mitchell for the first two rounds in Phoenix. Here’s how you can watch all of the action.