Joel Dahmen slapped with four-stroke penalty for breaking PGA Tour rules at Shriners Children's Open

Joel Dahmen was penalised four strokes during the first round of the 2024 Shriners Children's Open for violating one of the most basic rules of professional golf. Dahmen had one extra club in his bag, where only 14 are allowed.

The penalty strokes were carded two on hole 1 and the other two on hole 2. The official score on both holes was 6 (double bogey).

Joel Dahmen called the penalty himself after realising on the 4th tee that he had one extra club in his bag. It was an iron 4, which was not supposed to be in the bag during the day's competition.

The X (formerly Twitter) PGA Tour Communications account announced the rules officials' decision, stating:

"Joel Dahmen was penalized four strokes in the opening round of the Shriners Children’s Open when it was discovered on the fourth tee that he had more than 14 clubs in his bag."

The rule that Joel Dahmen violated is 4.1 b (1), which states that if a player has more than 14 clubs in his bag during a tournament, two strokes will be assessed for each hole played under such conditions, up to a maximum of four strokes.

A look at Joel Dahmen's first round performance at the Shriners Children's Open

Joel Dahmen started the Shriners Children's Open with pars on the first three holes, which became double bogey - double bogey - par after his four penalty strokes. Over the next six holes, he carded two bogeys and a birdie to finish the front nine at 5 over.

At the start of the front nine, Dahmen has parred the first three holes and he is currently on the 13th hole in a share of 131.

Dahmen's future on the PGA Tour is in jeopardy as he needs to finish in the top 125 in the FedEx Cup Fall Rankings to retain his full membership. He is currently tied for 124th with five tournaments left in the season, including the Shriners Children's Open.

If he finishes outside the top 125 but inside the top 150, Dahmen would still be eligible to play on the PGA Tour, but as a Special Temporary Member. This would limit his ability to register for tournaments.

Dahmen hasn't had the best of seasons so far in 2024, as he has played in 25 events, made the cut 16 times and finished in the top 10 only once (T10 at the RBC Canadian Open).

Another creditable result for him in 2024 was an 11th place finish at the Players Championship. However, he continued to struggle during the FedEx Cup Fall (T50 at the Procore Championship, missed the cut at the Sanderson Farms Championship and T40 at the Black Desert Championship).