Analyst criticizes Joel Dahmen's massive collapse at Corales Puntacana Championship: "Difficult to watch him finish like that"

Joel Dahmen tied for second at the Corales Puntacana Championship on Sunday. He was -13 for the weekend, and he was one stroke back of Garrick Higgo, who won the tournament. Higgo entered the day trailing, but a shocking +4 from the final round sent Dahmen falling back into second place.

Dahmen, a fan favorite thanks to his appearances on Netflix's Full Swing, got a tough loss added to his resume on Sunday, and it caught the attention of Rex Hoggard and Ryan Lavner.

Dahmen bogeyed his last three holes, unraveling to a close loss while a win seemed all but certain. Hoggard said he was “a little surprised” with the turn of events.

He added (42:00) on the Golf Channel Podcast:

“Difficult to watch him finish like that... Joel wears his emotion on his sleeve—we’ve seen that on Netflix and on Tour. But this was tough. Last year at the RSM Classic, he was fighting to keep his card. That pressure? He knows it better than most. And yet, this week, he just couldn’t close.”

The PGA Tour has shrunk the amount of memberships available, making wins like this for players like Dahmen on the fringe invaluable. Losses are detrimental like never before.

Hoggard added:

“You don’t have those safety nets anymore. Every shot counts. Joel’s going to feel this one for a long time. It was a huge opportunity—and he let it slip.”

The top 100 retain their membership cards to the PGA Tour, and Dahmen is currently within that range. He's ranked 69th as of now, which is enough to put him just barely into the field for the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

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Joel Dahmen reflects on mindboggling loss

Joel Dahmen was cruising to a clutch win at the Corales Puntacana Championship on Sunday when an incomprehensible run of bogeys sank him. Three on the final three holes cost him the win to Garrick Higgo.

Joel Dahmen lost on Sunday (Image via Imagn)

Dahmen said after via Golf.com:

“I think I’m in a little bit of shock, honestly. It’s not how you win a golf tournament, I’ll tell you that. I don’t deserve to win it."

He went on:

“You know, bogeying the last three is inexcusable. Middle of the fairway with an 8-iron on 16 to hit it where I hit it, you can’t get up and down over there. I don’t know what happened on the short one on 17. I mean, I’m obviously nervous, but unfortunately, I’m prone to that at times. You can call it a lapse in concentration."

Joel Dahmen said it wasn't as he got the yips and just couldn't play; it was just a bad moment at a "bad time."