Noted pro earns Phoenix Open spot with polo shirt gambit

Popular PGA Tour pro Joel Dahmen Hoping for a career comeback in 2026. And so far, so good. The one-time winner has made back-to-back cuts to start the year, including one T7 at last week’s Farmers Insurance Open.

Next stop for Dahmen is this week’s 2026 WM Phoenix Open, but his solid finish at Torrey Pines didn’t put him in the field. Dahmen called one instead controversial shirtless moment from his past Phoenix Open to earn his spot.

As he confirmed on Instagram, Dahmen hand-delivered a letter written on a T-shirt to the tournament sponsor, and he left in no time.

Joel Dahmen avoids fine for shirtless actions at WM Phoenix Open

Dahmen, 38, became a household name years ago on Twitter, but his profile has risen again his appearance on Netflix’s Full Swing in 2023. It was a year ago that Dahmen had his shirtless moment in Phoenix.

Dahmen played the final round of the 2022 WM Phoenix Open with friend Harry Higgs. The night before Dahmen joked on Twitter that if he got enough retweets, the two pros would take their shirts off at TPC Scottsdale’s famed par-3.

When Higgs scored a long position 16, the joke became reality. Higgs removed his shirt, then Dahmen followed suitand both celebrated around the green as fans showered them with beer.

It turns out both players received a stern call from the Tour after the incident, letting them know they could be fined for their actions. Fortunately for them, the fines were reportedly never met.

Which brings us to this year’s WM Phoenix Open and Dahmen’s gambit to claim a spot in the field.

Dahmen writes letter in polo, earns exemption from Phoenix Open

The last few years have been a struggle for Dahmen on the course. In 2024, he earned a top-10 finish and narrowly retained his Tour card for 2025.

Despite being runner-up among three top-10s last season, Dahmen finished 93rd in the FedEx Cup standings and 122nd in the FedEx Fall.

As a result, he did not have an automatic spot at the WM Phoenix Open. He would need a sponsor’s exemption to play at TPC Scottsdale this year.

Usually when ineligible for an event, pros write letters to the tournament sponsor requesting one of the small number of exemptions they are allowed to issue.

But Dahmen took it a step further to try to stand out from other professionals hoping for a short time.

In a nod to his shirtless moment in 2022, Dahmen taped his sponsor exemption letter to one of his golf polo shirts and then hand-delivered it to WM along with one of his trademark hats.

The unique strategy was first reported by Colt Knost on CBS’ Farmers Insurance Open broadcast Sunday and was later confirmed by Dahmen on Instagram.

In an article Sunday, Dahmen posted a photo of his letter to WM attached to his polo shirt, writing, “Yes, @coltknost was right. I put the letter in a polo and took it to their office. Let’s have fun next week!!!”

Now Dahmen and more than 120 other PGA Tour pros are on their way to TPC Scottsdale. The WM Phoenix Open 2026 begins this Thursday, February 5.