Joel Dahmen rips one back for hole-in-one Thursday at Charles Schwab Challenge

PGA TOUR veteran Joel Dahmen has done many things in golf, but he had yet to make a hole-in-one on TOUR.

That changed in Thursday’s first round of the Charles Schwab Challenge.

Dahmen aced the par-3 13th hole Thursday at Colonial Country Club, his fourth hole of the day, moving to 2-under on his round and kick-starting his pursuit of a second career PGA TOUR title. Dahmen’s tee shot at the 186-yard par 3 landed roughly 30 feet past the hole, fed off a backstop and rolled downhill gently into the cup. Dahmen high-fived his playing partners before sharing a hug and a knowing smile with his longtime caddie Geno Bonnalie.

Dahmen wasn't able to maintain the momentum, signing for a 4-over 74, and he ended the first round in a tie for 122nd place, four strokes off the projected cut line. Nonetheless, the day included a moment he'll remember for a while.

"It's kind of back in a bowl today, so you can hit one close, but when it disappears, you're pretty shocked," Dahmen said afterward. "Walking up to the green was really cool. To get a standing ovation on your fourth hole of the week is really special.

"I played more golf after that, and it didn't go very well. I'm going to celebrate by putting my little man to bed tonight. I'm going to wake up early, try to make a bunch of birdies, and try to play the weekend. Then, if not, I might celebrate tomorrow afternoon."

Dahmen, 37, entered the week at No. 81 on the season-long FedExCup standings. The top 70 after the Wyndham Championship in August will qualify for the three-event FedExCup Playoffs, and the top 100 after the FedExCup Fall will earn full TOUR status for 2026. It’s more competitive than ever, and hence, each shot is even more crucial across the season-long race. A hole-in-one never hurts the psyche, either.

Dahmen’s lone win in 224 prior TOUR starts came at the 2021 Corales Puntacana Championship, and he nearly earned his second Corales win earlier this year but closed bogey-bogey-bogey to fall one short of winner Garrick Higgo. Dahmen was vulnerable in meeting the media afterward, discussing how hard it is to win on TOUR and that those opportunities can be fleeting.

It's also hard to make an ace on TOUR, but Dahmen delivered Thursday in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.

"Nine years out here, that's a lot of par-3 attempts," he said. "A lot have looked good, and to finally go in was pretty cool."