SCOTTSDALE’S JOEL DAHMEN SHOOTS 10-UNDER TO TAKE FIRST DESERT SCHOOLS FEDERAL CREDIT UNION SCOTTSDA
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Joel Dahmen (Scottsdale, AZ) fired a final-round 2-under 68 and held off rallies from a strong field to win the first ever Desert Schools Federal Credit Union Scottsdale AZ Open championship by two shots.
Dahmen opened the tournament with a 2-under 68 at Talking Stick Golf Club’s North Course, and followed that up with an impressive bogey-free 64 to get to 8-under par and a three-shot lead heading into Thursday’s final round. Riley Arp (Fort Collins, CO), Ryan Williams (Phoenix, AZ), Matt Hansen (Los Osos, CA) and Brian Prouty (Tucson, AZ) sat at 5-under through two rounds, while Chris Evans (Bermuda Dunes, CA) was four shots back at 4-under heading into the final day.
Dahmen played steady on the front nine, carding birdies on the par-4 fourth hole and the par-4 fifth to get to 10-under for the tournament. He didn’t get much push from the group that started the round three shots back, but an early charge from Douglas Quinones (Sioux Falls, SD) put some pressure on Dahmen.
Quinones started the final day seven shots back at 1-under, but carded an impressive bogey-free 63 that included four birdies on the front and three birdies on the back, finishing with birdies on two of the final three holes to get to 8-under for the tournament.
Dahmen increased his lead with a birdie on the 392-yard, par-4 12th hole to get to 11-under, then added five consecutive pars on holes 13-17 to keep his lead at three going into the final hole. He did bogey the par-4 18th, but still came away with the two shot win over Quinones and Arp.
Dahmen was solid all three days at Talking Stick, notching 11 birdies, one eagle and just three bogeys through 54 holes, and he was a collective 9-under on the par-4’s and par-5’s. With the win, Dahmen takes home $20,000 from the guaranteed $125,000 purse.
Quinones’ hot 8-under wasn’t enough to get it done, but his low round of the day vaulted him into a T2 finish at 8-under par. Joining him in second was Arp, who birdied two of the final three holes to 8-under par for the tournament.
Rounding out the Top-5 were Richard Lee (Phoenix, AZ), Austin Quick (Scottsdale, AZ) and Dino Giacomazzi (Salinas, CA), who all finished T4 at 7-under par. Lee had the second lowest round of the day, carding a 6-under 64 that included birdies on four of the last six holes to jump into the Top-5.
Evans, Hansen and Williams all finished T7 at 6-under par, while Prouty, DJ Brigman (Albuquerque, NM) and Chris Satterlee (Phoenix, AZ) finished T10 at 5-under.
This was the inaugural Desert Schools Federal Credit Union Scottsdale Open, a 54-hole championship event that featured a field of 156 players and a guaranteed purse of $125,000 – with $20,000 going to the winner. The goal of the tournament is to provide a first-class competitive arena for aspiring professionals, while supporting worthwhile charities in the local community. Tournament Director Brian Vranesh announced that the tournament was able to donate $5,000 to Desert Schools Foundation to benefit Phoenix Children’s Hospital’s 1 Darn Cool School Program.
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