The Gretest Round

How do we, as a society define “greatness” – It’s broad term and certainly has different, nuanced meaning among individuals – That being said, it’s generally related to winning stuff – And to muddy the waters even further, great as it relates to team sports, is not the same animal as one showing greatness in an individual sport – No matter how gifted a team sport participant, they are always subject variables around them – Their teammates must always play a supporting role for the great ones to thrive – Look no further than the Manning patriarch, Archie – Truly a great quarterback, lost in football history only because he was surrounded by a horrible supporting cast in the then woeful New Orleans Saints – Individual sports however, golf in particular, leave no room flaws, chinks in the armor, and at the end of the day, excuses – You either got it done, or you didn’t – It’s generally that simple – On occasion there can be legitimate arguments regarding getting the crappy end of the weather stick in terms of the draw – But mostly, golf lays you bare

As great as Jack was, and he has a highlight reel of spectacular shots, he just mostly wore his opponents down – He grinded along, made very few mistakes and at the end of the day he was somewhere at the top of the heap – Tiger Woods was, in my opinion, the greatest golfer I’ve ever seen – There was a time in his prime where it seemed he could will his golf ball into the hole – He could summon his greatest of shots, seemingly on command – Although those were for but more money, more trophies, and notches up the ladder in the G.O.A.T discussion

Which all brings me to perhaps the greatest single round of golf I’ve ever witnessed – IF your definition of greatness lies in one’s ability to be the best they have ever been one a day when it means the most – Which is exactly what Clarkston, Washington native and U of W alum Joel Dahmen was able to do during yesterday's final round of the RSM Classic – And his was a different kind of pressure as he stepped on the first tee – He had no chance of winning the event mind you, he was out for the sole purpose of saving his professional life – Imagine if you had your dream job – You loved your work, all of your friends worked with you, and you made wonderful money – Then one day your boss informed you that you have five hours to show him the greatest work you ever crafted, or else you’re done – It all goes away

Staring him in the face was a projected finish of 128th on the PGA Tour FedEx Cup fall standings with a prize consisting of a pat on the butt and a “thanks for commin’” – So saving his dream job was exactly the kind of pressure on which Joel was trying not to gag - Dahmen has enjoyed eight years in the big leagues, but on that first tee on Sunday he was staring a trip back to the minors square in the face – And with the quality of play on the Korn Ferry Tour, it is where many a PGA Tour career goes to die – So no problem, Joel just needed to play the round of his life, ON COMMAND – He made a 15 footer on the final hole to card a 64, which included a hole-out from 110 yards – He needed 65 or better – After starting the day tied for 61st in the event, he finished T34, and more importantly put him at #124 in the FedEx Cup fall standings – The top 125 keep their PGA Tour cards for the upcoming year - To perform ones best when a career is on the line, in a sport where trying harder generally spells disaster, I don’t know – Journeyman Joel Dahmen isn’t considered a great golfer – However for one magical round yesterday, he may have been the greatest I’ve ever seen…