Joel Dahmen may not have the biggest trophy cabinet, but he has carved out a reputation as one of the more well-liked figures on the PGA Tour.
Dahmen’s play at the Farmers Insurance Open was another moment for supporters to rally behind him.
Last season, the 38-year-old golfer parted ways with long-time caddie Geno Bonnalie, who had also been one of his closest friends.
While difficult, the change appears to have pushed Dahmen to become more self-reliant and focused.
Finishing in a tie for seventh place at Torrey Pines did not just mark progress on the leaderboard – it also moved him up 39 spots in the world rankings, another sign that his hard work and patience are starting to pay off again.
How much Joel Dahmen paid in tax from $301,000 pay cheque at the Farmers Insurance Open
Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images
Dahmen will be looking to make this PGA Tour season count. The 38-year-old has only one win under his belt so far, and he will be keen to build on that.
But for him, golf is not just about chasing trophies. He is open about seeing it as a way to earn a living, saying it is not always about finishing first.
On the Fore Play Podcast, Dahmen was asked how much he earned for his T-7 finish at Torrey Pines.
He replied: “$301,000.”
“Taxes in California are a lot though. It’s taxed by where you play,” Dahmen added.
He then explained how the PGA Tour handles taxes.
“No,” the 38-year-old said when asked if taxes are pulled before payment. “We get the whole check and put it into a separate tax account.”
“So, most guys out of here pay quarterly taxes, but how we do it, my wife just takes 30% out of every pay check and puts it into a tax account.
“Then, uh, that thing grows and builds throughout the year, and you look at that, and then your guy’s like, ‘hey I’m gonna take out the tax now’.
“And I’m like, that is so much money that is going.”
Dahmen set aside approximately $90,000 from his $301,000 Farmers Insurance Open earnings. Furthermore, he would have had to pay a substantial amount to his caddie.
How much PGA Tour caddies typically earn
Caddies on the PGA Tour generally take home about 10% of their player’s pay cheque for a win.
If the player finishes inside the top 10, caddie pay usually drops to around 6-8%. For a made cut, it is roughly 5%.
Sepp Straka gave some insight into this back in May after his win at the Truist Championship, where he earned $3.6 million.
That week, the Austrian’s usual caddie was replaced by his college friend.
“Yeah, Dewey hurt his back last week, and, yeah, he wasn’t able to go. He came up just in case, but then he told me to have a backup plan,” he revealed.
“And so I called Drew. We played golf together in Birmingham. He’s a professional golfer. Plays on the mini tours, yeah, he was nice enough to just hop right on a plane and be here.
“So, he flew up Tuesday morning. We played a practice round and just kind of went from there. And yeah, he’s definitely going to get the usual winnings, guys get 10%.”
Even though it seems like players are earning massive amounts from tournaments when you factor in caddie fees and taxes – which vary depending on where they play – they are often left with just over half of their total winnings.
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