The Loop
Despite $853,000 winnings, Joel Dahmen was squeezed into coach on flight from Wells Fargo Championship
Sam Greenwood
Due to the big bucks involved with professional golf, many fans believe the life of PGA Tour players is all glitz and glamour. While that's true of the game's upper echelon, there's another reality for most on tour, particularly those attempting to grind out a career. They may not be roughing it at the Red Roof Inn, but it's far from rental houses and the Ritz-Carlton.
A sentiment illustrated on Monday morning by Joel Dahmen.
Dahmen is fresh off a second-place finish at the Wells Fargo Championship, a performance that earned $853,000 in earnings, by far a career-best check for the 31-year-old. For a guy ranked 527th in the world a year ago, it was another step towards proving his merits as a regular on the circuit.
Conversely, the check is also a quarter of his career earnings, and before Sunday secured his tour card for another year, the Washington product was operating in that unknown ether that's the bane of every tour player's existence.
Which explains why Dahmen found himself in the back of a plane, jammed near the bathrooms in coach, on his flight from Charlotte:
Joel my man, we appreciate the hustle. But with the frequent flyer miles pros rack up, you're getting hosed on status.
On the plus side, Dahmen did secure entry to the PGA Championship next week, which will mark his first major appearance. Let's hope his accommodations to Long Island are more luxurious.