Joel Dahmen put in an impressive performance in the opening round at the Wyndham Championship on Thursday. The 37-year-old fired a flawless 9-under 61 at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina, to grab the outright lead and set the pace in the final regular-season event of the PGA Tour. U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley was also in impressive form in the first round at Sedgefield.
Dahmen Impressive in Opening Round at Wyndham
The past few weeks have been unusual for the 37-year-old. He parted ways with his longtime caddie, Geno Bonnalie, just before the Barracuda Championship, where he went on to tie for 17th — his first top-50 finish since April’s Corales Puntacana Championship, where a late bogey streak cost him the win.
Dahmen came into the week ranked 101st in the FedExCup standings and needed a big result to keep his season alive. After taking the outright lead in Greensboro, he’s now projected to break into the top 50 and lock up a spot in next week’s event in Memphis.
The 37-year-old carded nine birdies and no bogeys in his lowest round ever on Tour, looking composed and confident from the very first tee. The round comes at a crucial time for Dahmen, who’s been battling to keep his card for next season. However, the American is cautiously optimistic about his chances.
“Thursday’s a long way from Sunday,”Dahmen said after the first round. “I’ve been here a lot, so just happy to get off to a good start and, yeah, we’ll see where things fall.”
Captain Bradley Makes Statement With Impressive Chip
While Dahmen’s round stole the headlines, U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley made his own kind of statement. Bradley, who was recently named Team USA captain for 2025, showed he still has plenty of game with a solid opening round.
Captain Keegan with a beautiful chip in! 🔥pic.twitter.com/nnP8z0nqLZ
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) July 31, 2025
Starting on the back nine, Bradley wasted no time getting into rhythm as he fired a solid opening-round 65. He rolled in a birdie on his very first hole and added another on the 13th. But the highlight of the round came at the par-4 12th, where he chipped in for birdie from off the green, drawing cheers from the crowd and a big grin from Bradley himself.
The 39-year-old finished the day with six birdies and just one bogey, keeping his round clean and controlled. He hit 13 of 14 fairways and made smart decisions throughout, especially on the greens, where he avoided costly three-putts and capitalized on good looks. Bradley has positioned himself well heading into the weekend with a score that puts him firmly in contention after day one.
Main Photo Credit: © Erik Williams-Imagn Images
