If you are passionate enough about something, every hurdle looks minuscule in front of your goal. Such is the journey of Joel Dahmen. He might not be the best golfer on the PGA Tour (in fact, he is not even in the top 240 on the OWGR list). But he sure is one of the most famous players on the Tour. The journey sure was not easy, especially for him. But he did battle out of it, and here’s his story.

Joel Dahmen was born in Clarkson, Washington, on November 11, 1987. His father is Ed Dahmen, and little is known about him, except for the fact that he was the driving force behind the family. His mother was Jolyn Dahmen. Athleticism has always been in her blood since she played basketball in her high school days. She later went on to become a schoolteacher. But made sure that Joel Dahmen followed his dreams.

She became his career’s guiding light and would accompany him during the summers to support his tournaments. At times, she even took on the role of his caddie. He shared how, as a child, he often felt lost, but it was always his mother who guided him back onto the right path. From an early age, Dahmen demonstrated exceptional promise in golf. His talent was so apparent that his father, Ed, decided he should be close to a golf course full-time. As a result, the family built a new home at Clarkston Golf and Country Club.

At the time, Dahmen didn’t fully understand the reason behind the move. He simply thought it was exciting to swim at the club, practice by shagging golf balls on the range, and compete with men in the weekly Boys Game.“The move wasn’t something we talked about,” Dahmen recalled. “Dad loved golf, too, and Mom played golf. But eventually, I realized it was for me. He saw golf as my ticket to something bigger and better.”

It took Dahmen a bit longer to recognize that path himself. He excelled in every sport he tried, including soccer, football, basketball, baseball, and, of course, golf. At Clarkston High School, Dahmen was the point guard on the varsity basketball team alongside future Gonzaga forward Josh Heytvelt. In football, he played quarterback, and in baseball, he excelled as a pitcher and shortstop. However, his life was not without struggle.

Joel Dahmen lost his mother to cancer 

Cancer has been the biggest antagonist in the life of Joel Dahmen. It has affected him not just once, but thrice. Joel Dahmen often calls himself a mama’s boy. Why wouldn’t he after she had done so much for him? But life did not keep her for long. In 2004, his mother, Jolyn was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. After struggling for almost a year, she passed away on April 18, 2005.

A few years later, misery struck again. In 2013, at the age of 23, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer, just some time after he turned pro. “I was so devastated. I wasn’t practicing for the final stage. I had nothing really to plan, so I just shut it down,” he said. Joel Dahmen even opened up about battling cancer in 2020. Even his brother Zach was diagnosed with testicular cancer back in 2022. This made him depressed, and he would do nothing all day, apart from lying down on his couch and watching TV all day along with his dog, Murphy. But unlike the first case, both these cases went by after hard days.

Despite all of these, he still managed to follow his dream and gain recognition in the golf world. While his family was always there to support him, he also had other people standing rock-solid next to him.

Joel Dahmen’s biggest external support: his wife and his caddie

The professional golfer achieved his first PGA Tour victory in March 2021, but his journey has been supported by his wife, Lona, since 2012. The two first crossed paths while waiting in line for pizza, and six years later, they tied the knot. In 2023, Joel and Lona celebrated the arrival of their first child.

And of course, who is a better friend for a golfer than a caddie? The only man Joel Dahmen has ever had in his bag since 2015 is Geno Bonnalie. They have known each other for more than 20 years and had even won a two-man best-ball tournament when they were teenagers in Idaho. Both of them come from the same place. It was Bonnalie who reached out to him after he won the money lost on the Mackenzie Tour. He helped him make his way into the PGA Tour in 2016. The duo bagged their first win together at the 2021 Corales Puntacana, defeating Sam Ryder and Rafael Campos by one stroke.

Joel Dahmen’s story is a testament to the fact that no matter how difficult the road is, if you have people supporting you, the obstacles can be passed by in a breeze. What do you think of them? Let us know in the comments section below!