	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP

March 21, 2019

Joel Dahmen

Palm Harbor, Florida

Q. One birdie, six bogeys out there, how was the golf course playing for you today?
JOEL DAHMEN: It was good. Wind was down early so I took advantage of that, I think I birdied three of my first four. Tough stretch in there, just kind of hung on, and then I hit some good iron shots on my back nine and, yeah, it was just a real solid out there today.

Q. You come in this week 67th on the FedExCup points list. What's been the key to your solid play so far this year?
JOEL DAHMEN: A little roller coastery, actually, I played really well in the fall and then early on and then I struggled these last four or five weeks. My putting comes and goes and when my putting's on I do okay. I worked real hard on that last week, had my coach in town at THE PLAYERS and it's so far so good.

Q. Having some fun this week, it's spring break, your caddie, they're going with nicknames this week, Leaping Cougar. Tell us a little bit about that nickname.
JOEL DAHMEN: Yeah, long story short, I was in like Christian Boy Scouts growing up, like kindergarten, first grade and that was my name. Totally forgot about it for a long time, but my dad brought down a lot of my old things that he had around the house and we found that one and I didn't know what to put on it, so we just went with Leaping Cougar this week.

Q. Did you just say what it was?
JOEL DAHMEN: Yes, so Leaping Cougar is from, like it's called Royal Rangers where I grew up, it's a Christian Boy Scouts. Is Boy Scouts Christian any ways? I don't think it is Christian. I don't know. Anyway. But growing up we did it and I was like kindergarten or first grade maybe and they gave me the name, we didn't get to name ourselves, I don't know how that came to be. But, so 20 years ago, totally forgot about it, maybe 25 even, and then my dad Phoenix Open he brought down all of my old crap out of my bedroom and all this stuff. So digging through it and we found Leaping Cougar, like it's on like a little name tag type thing. And Brandon Harkins got a hold of it and he heard about it, so that's kind of out in the open now and I figured the rest of the world should see it this week.

Q. Have you ever seen a cougar leap?
JOEL DAHMEN: Yeah, I mean I grew up in the northwest. I've never seen a cougar, thankfully, but, yeah, there's some videos out there, maybe some Animal Planet or Discovery stuff.

Q. You came off a nice week last week. Did that carry forward, do you think?
JOEL DAHMEN: Absolutely. Yeah, I'm kind of a streaky player. Last year I got on a run and played really well. Once kind of things are aligning, once I know where the ball's going, or I should say once my feels match the real, then it's pretty good. Last week it did that. Putting is pretty good. It's always a couple of them out there, but once the putter doesn't misbehave then we're pretty good shape, like today.

Q. Do you take any inspiration from his tweet about taming the snakes?
JOEL DAHMEN: No. Well, yeah, he's, he's always got something up his sleeve. I guess, what was the one at Honda? The Bear Trap. So there's always stuff. He's pretty good at what he does.

Q. This week might have been my last week with the tee time sheets because I feel like it's ran its course.
JOEL DAHMEN: Well you like this whole, I feel like we're -- the last couple weeks have been a little weak, so depending upon what's coming up we'll probably, we'll have to have something good for New Orleans for that team event. But it's always interesting to see who comments on that and what that's about.

Q. Did you play the last two?
JOEL DAHMEN: No, it's my first time here. I wasn't good enough to get in here the last couple years. So it's kind of fun, first time in Bay Hill, first time PLAYERS, first time here. And these are real tough golf courses and it's better for me, I don't like making a million birdies, I would prefer that pars are good, fits my game a little better.

Q. What did you think first time you saw it?
JOEL DAHMEN: I thought it was pretty hard.

Q. What were you expecting?
JOEL DAHMEN: I wasn't expecting hills like this. That's for sure. Maybe I thought more water, I don't know. But it's pretty hard. You got to hit a lot of good shots. Not compared to Bay Hill or PLAYERS, but I'm shocked at the hills. Florida doesn't have any hills and here we are. So I like the tree lines, I like that, and par-5s are just out of reach, but I think it's, I mean it's a good golf course. It's tough.

Q. 11 out of reach for you?
JOEL DAHMEN: I got to 11 -- well I got to hit a good one but I got to hit a good one.

Q. Russell Knox made a two there.
JOEL DAHMEN: Today? To the back left pin?

Q. 823 feet according to Shot Link. Seriously.
JOEL DAHMEN: Well, math is hard, so divided by three -- no that's really good. He probably pulled it a little bit but we won't say that.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297