Joel Dahmen’s opening round at the Rocket Mortgage Classic didn’t go to plan, as he carded a two-over 74 to find himself well off the pace early.
Dahmen finished Thursday 12 shots behind co-leaders Aldrich Potgieter and Kevin Roy, in a round that featured three bogeys and a single birdie.
It’s not the first disappointment of Dahmen’s 2025 season, following a narrow loss to Garrick Higgo at the Corales Puntacana Championship, where late bogeys cost him the title.
Despite that setback, Dahmen has continued to build a strong fan base, thanks in part to his role in Netflix’s ‘Full Swing’ and his close relationship with regular caddie Geno Bonnalie.
This week, however, Bonnalie wasn’t on the bag – and his stand-in turned plenty of heads.
Ben Crane caddied for Joel Dahmen at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Dahmen was grouped with Kevin Roy for his first round – and at the end of play, a familiar face was seen collecting Dahmen’s clubs: Ben Crane.
The 49-year-old Crane, who has five PGA Tour victories to his name – including wins at the FedEx St. Jude Classic and Farmers Insurance Open – was stepping into a new role for the day.
By coincidence, Crane was disqualified from the same April event where Dahmen finished second, due to playing a wrong ball – an error that wasn’t corrected in time.
This time, Crane’s caddying stint didn’t bring much luck, as Dahmen struggled to find any momentum in Detroit.
Ben Crane’s PGA Tour record
It remains to be seen if Crane plans to caddie more regularly, but his primary legacy will always be his playing career.
Across more than 450 PGA Tour events, Crane compiled an impressive record:
| Results | Total |
| Events played | 454 |
| Wins | 5 |
| Top-5s | 20 |
| Top-10s | 48 |
| Cuts made | 288 |
For Dahmen, the Rocket Mortgage Classic is another chapter in what has been a challenging year – but with his usual caddie expected back soon, he’ll be hoping for a return to form.
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