PGA Tour player accuses playing partner of cheating
Joel Dahmen had quite the weekend at TPC Potomac. A Saturday pairing with Tiger Woods put his name on the map and on Sunday he grabbed headlines with an allegation for the ages.
In the final round of the Quicken Loans National, Dahmen claimed fellow PGA Tour player Sung Kang “cheated”. The 10th hole became the epicentre of the event after Kang’s second shot found the hazard.
The revelations came to light on Twitter…
Kang cheated. He took a bad drop from a hazard. I argued until I was blue. I lost.
— Joel Dahmen (@Joel_Dahmen) July 2, 2018
So what happened? Well, Kang insisted his ball crossed the hazard, allocating him a drop on the side of the hazard closer to the hole. Dahmen argued the events until he “was blue”, protesting that the South Korean’s ball failed to cross.
Due to this controversy lasting so long it caused a pile-up, meaning the group behind, Ben Crane and Ryan Palmer, had to play through – something you don’t see often on tour.
Ultimately, a rules official sided with Kang who was allowed to take a drop closer to the hole.
It was a typical dispute about where or if it crossed the hazzard. It clearly did not cross the hazzard. We went back and forth for 25 minutes and he ended up dropping closer to the green.
— Joel Dahmen (@Joel_Dahmen) July 2, 2018
A four-time winner on the Korean Tour, Kang would go on to save par before carding a six-under 64, tying his lowest round of the season, gifting him a tied-3rd finish and stamping his ticket to the 2018 Open at Carnoustie.
Dahmen, struggled to final round 1-over 71, recording his fifth best finish of the season. But was blunt when digesting the incident: “It clearly did not cross the hazard. We went back and forth for 25 minutes and he ended up dropping closer to the green.”
The Washington native made his disputes public and revealed he still had to sign Kang’s card. “At that point, there is nothing I can do. If I don’t sign the card, a rules official will. I would just be delaying the inevitable.”
Dahmen’s caddie Geno Bonnalie rallied to his aid after scorecards were signed. “Correct,” he said, “we didn’t agree on the spot where it ‘crossed’.”
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Tom Irwin
Tom is a lifetime golfer, now over 30 years playing the game. 2023 marks 10 years in golf publishing and he is still holding down a + handicap at Alwoodley in Leeds. He has played over 600 golf courses, and has been a member of at least four including his first love Louth, in Lincolnshire. Tom likes unbranded clothing, natural fibres, and pencil bags. Seacroft in Lincolnshire is where it starts and ends.
