Joel Dahmen surged ahead on the first day of the 2025 Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club, firing a remarkable 9-under 61 to claim the lead in the PGA Tour’s regular season finale. His performance came at a crucial moment, as he entered the week ranked 101st in the FedEx Cup standings, striving to secure a playoff position.

Dahmen’s score matched the lowest round of his career, putting him one stroke ahead of Alex Noren as they head into Friday’s second round. This impressive display positioned Dahmen to leap into the top 50 in FedEx Cup rankings, a substantial jump from his starting position.

Dahmen reflects on his recent progress and mindset change

After a solid stretch without bogeys and consistent play over recent weeks, Dahmen felt confident heading into this week’s event.

“I don’t know if you ever see 61 coming, but I saw good golf coming,”

Dahmen shared.

“I went 45-ish holes last week without a bogey to start the tournament, played really well in Truckee at the Barracuda besides kind of a weak Saturday. If you take like four holes away last week, it was kind of going to be a top-5. Trending as we like to say in golf, we’re always trending, right, but we’re actually trending, which is nice.”

Despite his current standing atop the leaderboard, Dahmen acknowledged the challenging road ahead. He needs at least a tie for second place to crack into the top 70 and place himself firmly in the playoff contention. However, a victory would remove all uncertainty, guaranteeing him entry into the St. Jude Championship next week.

Dahmen also reflected on the personal stakes involved:

“I mean, I’ve had like three top-2s in my career, I don’t know, four of ’em maybe? I mean, it’s not even a thing, right? Yeah, great to make the Playoffs, that would be unbelievable, give me a lot of time off this fall. We’ve got a baby coming so that would take some pressure off of that. The Playoffs are a bonus for me. I’m just going to go out and try to play good golf, and I guess if I play really well, then I get to play another week.”

Changes behind the scenes fueled Dahmen’s resurgence

Earlier this year, Dahmen parted ways with his longtime caddie and close friend Geno Bonnalie, ending a decade-long partnership to focus more on self-reliance. The change has coincided with improved results, including a recent top-20 finish at the Barracuda Championship. On Thursday, Dahmen’s ball striking was exceptional, gaining more than three strokes with his scoring clubs and making eight birdies from inside 15 feet. Additional highlight shots included long putts from 23 feet on the second hole and 50 feet on the seventh.

Dahmen discussed the emotional aspects of the split:

“Man, I love Geno. We still text almost daily. He’s doing well. Yeah, I mean, I miss him but sometimes the hardest – you have to do something hard to – look, it wasn’t an easy decision. I won’t say I’m not happy about it but like it’s hard. He’s my best friend, he’s still my best friend.”

He explained the motivation behind the change:

“But I had to change something with me. It was more about me. It was my mentality, it was what I was doing and I need to take ownership of what I was doing. I was not doing a good job of that. So a way for me to do it is as simple as just playing golf on my own a little bit. So yeah, I love him, I miss him. I think we’ll see him out here again soon.”

Strong challenges from established and emerging players

Behind Dahmen, several notable contenders are making their push for the playoff spots. Defending champion Aaron Rai shot a 63, producing eight birdies and just one bogey, proving his continued affinity for the Donald Ross-designed course. He shared this score with Cameron Young, the former PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, who finished with a strong closing stretch of six birdies in his final seven holes. Young is yet to claim his first PGA Tour victory and aims to become the league’s 1,000th unique winner.

Jordan Spieth, a 13-time PGA Tour winner, joined the leaderboard with a 65, positioning himself to improve his FedEx Cup standing from 50th and secure a spot in the upcoming BMW Championship. Spieth entered Greensboro, North Carolina aiming to convert his recent solid play into deeper contention.

Jordan Spieth’s effort highlights resilience amid ups and downs

Spieth started his round unevenly but managed to harness his putting to stage a comeback. His round featured multiple key putts including conversions from 12 feet, 50 feet, 16 feet, and beyond, helping him salvage a promising score despite early troubles. Spieth committed to working through his inconsistencies, focusing on steady progress through the tournament.

He commented on his performance:

“I mean everything was OK. I didn’t drive the ball particularly well until the last five or six holes. Same with my iron play, was really the last seven holes or so. So I was kind of just a little bit off to start. I didn’t have a great warmup this morning and it kind of translated, but it was nice to hang in there, get some breaks on the greens and be a couple under while I wasn’t really, really feeling very good about my game. Then I started to kind of get in a nice rhythm to finish and hopefully carry that into the rest of the week.”

Regarding a strategic shot he chose during the round that caught attention, Spieth explained:

“It’s just really hard for me to play the smart play if I see anything else.”

—Jordan Spieth

Current leaderboard standings and playoff implications

The leaderboard after day one shows Joel Dahmen leading at 9-under par, with Alex Noren just a stroke behind at 8-under. A group of players including Aaron Rai, Cameron Young, Nico Echavarria, and Mark Hubbard share 7-under scores. At 6-under, Sungjae Im holds the seventh position, with Jordan Spieth, Chandler Phillips, Adam Scott, and several others clustered at 5-under.

This tight grouping underscores the intense competition for the playoff berths. Spieth and Scott are jockeying to secure their places in the BMW Championship, while Dahmen and others at the top eye the possibility of advancing deeper into the postseason by winning or finishing near the top.

Players on the FedEx Cup playoff bubble

A number of golfers are hovering near the FedEx Cup cut line, including Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Emiliano Grillo, Erik van Rooyen, Cam Davis, Patrick Rodgers, Chris Kirk, Byeong Hun An, Matti Schmid, Keith Mitchell, and Nicolai Højgaard. These players need strong finishes over the remaining rounds to advance in the season-long race.

Bezuidenhout, in particular, is notable for his accurate driving and approach shots, hitting 11 of 14 fairways and 16 of 18 greens in regulation. Although his putting has faltered, a return to form with the putter could propel him upward on the leaderboard. Betting odds reflect some optimism on dark horse contenders such as Bezuidenhout at 30-1 and Max Homa at 60-1, who currently stands at four under.

Updated odds and favorites for the championship title

The latest betting odds from DraftKings Sportsbook position Aaron Rai as the favorite at 7-1, closely followed by Alex Noren at 8-1. Joel Dahmen and Cameron Young share 12-1 odds, with Nico Echavarria at 16-1 and Jordan Spieth offered at 18-1. Mark Hubbard and Robert MacIntyre round out the top names with respective odds of 22-1 and 28-1.

With 54 holes remaining, no player has firmly separated themselves, making this the kind of high-stakes competition where consistency and composure under pressure can decide the winner. Dahmen’s early lead sets an intriguing tone, but the depth of contenders ensures a thrilling finish as the season’s final regular event unfolds.