What’s least expected to happen on the course takes its turn in the most humiliating manner, and who are netizens blaming? The caddie. PGA tour pro-Joel Dahmen is in a very frustrating and embarrassing spot during the opening round of the 2024 Shriners Children’s Open, and the reason is his best friend and long-time caddie, Geno Bonnalie. But how did all this happen to this extent?

Well, what happened was Dahmen teed off from the first tee, and by the fourth tee, he found himself in an unexpected position, as he discovered that he was carrying more than the legal limit of 14 clubs. As per the PGA Tour rules, any additional clubs result in a two-stroke penalty per hole, up to a maximum of four strokes. And that’s exactly what happened with the golfer, as one mistake cost him a four-stroke penalty.

The R1 play is now suspended because of darkness, but the damage is done, and it might get hard for the golfer to recuperate from a 4-stroke penalty. This is not the first time a bagman has come under fire for the mishap on the greens. At this year’s US Open, for what happened with Rory McIlroy on the 18th hole, his caddie and best friend, Harry Diamond, also got a lot of slack for the missed putt. The community claimed that Diamond failed to do his job and did not assist the golfer well enough to make that 3-foot par-putt. McIlroy disagreed with the backlash, but will Dahmen too? He probably does.

Talking about the matter in the post-round conference, the golfer said, “I’d like it to blame Geno. That would be the easy thing to do. It’s not his fault either. I played Tuesday and Wednesday out here. We didn’t see it in there. It was an extra 4-iron, so I had two 4-irons in the bag.” The golfer does not blame his caddie, but the golf community thinks otherwise. 

“I get fired every week, but I manage to get re-hired by Monday or Tuesday, usually.” That’s how Geno Bonnalie describes his relationship with Joel Dahmen. They have been together for a very long and have known each other since childhood. Dahmen got his Tour card back in 2015, and the duo has been going strong since. The two share a great bond and even prank each other at times—well, Dahmen does.

The looper once revealed that Dahmen is an angry person, or at least was in his early days. In 2015, Dahmen was leading an event until the eighth hole, and he used his driver, ignoring Bonnalie’s advice for a hybrid, and blew it past the trees on the right side. Next, his 6-iron from the rough only traveled 10 yards. After carding a bogey and slipping up on the lead, Joel Dahmen threw the ball at his caddie, which traveled above his head and reached the bunker. “I’ve got a monkey working for me today,” the golfer yelled.

Bonnalie thought of letting it pass, despite fuming inside. But he lost it soon. “Motherf*****r, I could’ve hit that onto the green. If I didn’t think you could hit a 6-iron in the air, I would’ve never let you hit it,” the veteran bagman screamed at Dahmen.

The rare yet significant incident in the golf realm spread like wildfire after the PGA Tour’s official X account tweeted about it. Fans showered it with sharp and sarcastic comments targeting Bonnalie. Well, fans’ wrath was quite expected, as they believed Bonnalie wouldn’t make such a mistake as a professional caddie. So, let us see what angry fans are saying.

Bonnalie becomes the fans’ target 

As the caddie, it’s part of his role to check and ensure that all equipment, including the number of clubs, complies with regulations. Criticizing Bonnalie for not being vigilant enough, a user wrote, “Geno, You have one job!” The looper might have checked the bag, but the pair had not faced like this ever before. Dahmen claimed that he and other golfers too travel with 15-16 clubs depending on the course and conditions. 

Given that Bonnalie is capable of more complex tasks, like calculating distances or angles on the course, a user sarcastically commented on Bonnalie’s silly mistake, stating, “Geno might brag about using Pythagoras yet he can’t count to 14.” Well, fans did not hold back, and many more commented blaming Geno, saying, “Caddies fault,” “Cmon Geno,” “Dammit, Geno.,” “Dumb.’

Considering the seriousness of the situation and the tough spot of Bonnalie in all this, a user wrote, “#pray4geno.” Reminding Bonnalie of his duties, another fan wrote, “First rule of caddying (after show up, keep up ,shut up) is count your player’s clubs on the way to the first tee. We’ll see how solid their relationship is.” As stated, the two share a great relationship together and have known each other since childhood. Dahmen does not blame Geno as of now, but the backlash might make him think otherwise.

Dahmen and Bonnalie’s partnership has seen many highs and lows, but no matter what, they have remained deterred in their loyalty to one another. The testament to their deep bond is something well reflected in the Netflix series Full Swing. While the documentary focuses on Dahmen’s honest take on his profession, it also made the golfer’s connection with his fans even stronger with his transparency about his emotions. One fan, however, didn’t hold back, quipping, “He’s got shitty people around him. He’s smart. I hope he commits to his skills. Now.”

As the tournament progresses, all eyes will be on Dahmen and Bonnalie to see how they recover from this setback. What are your thoughts on it? Let us know in the comments.