Dahmen Wins Washington Men's Amateur

Joel Dahmen of Clarkston, Wash., decided his five-stroke lead going into the final hole wasn't good enough, so he holed his second shot on the par-4 for eagle, winning the 81st Washington State Men's Amateur Championship. The event was played at Gold Mountain Golf Club in Bremerton.

With a two-stroke lead going into the final round, Dahmen just wanted to keep his ball in play. "My goal was to just hit the greens in regulation, forcing the other players to play better than par. My putting has been so good lately, I was confident that would give me the win." said Dahmen, who was the only player in the field to shoot under par all four days. His final-round 2-under par 70 led to a six-stroke victory.

Dahmen will be a sophomore on the University of Washington golf team, playing in four varsity tournaments last year as a Husky. This is not the first time Dahmen has held a high golf presence in his home state. He was one of Washington's best junior golfer, winning the 3A High School state championship twice (2003 and '06) at Clarkston High School.

John Cassidy of Yelm, Wash., finished in second at 3-under par, and Derek Berg of Duvall, Wash., finished at 1-under for third. Dahmen and those two were the only players under par for the championship.

Dahmen's will be engraved on the WSGA Men's Amateur's Bodenhamer Cup Trophy. His name will join such former champions in golf as Fred Couples, who won the 1992 Masters, and Kermit Zarley, a longtime PGA Tour player.