Hot putter vaults Joel Dahmen (65) into contention at TPC Southwind

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Joel Dahmen’s last six rounds on the PGA Tour included a 78, 79, 81 and 81, although all of those unsightly cards came at Muirfield Village, which ranked as the season’s most difficult course.

“I didn’t look at them too closely,” Dahmen smiled on Saturday at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational when asked about those wayward rounds.

On Day 3 at TPC Southwind, those rounds seemed like a distant memory with Dahmen making five birdies through his first eight holes. When he birdied three consecutive after the turn it was like those two weeks at Muirfield Village never happened.

“I hit so many great shots and then the putter got hot and you start making a bunch of 8- to 15-footers and I think I made a couple 25-, 30-footers out there,” Dahmen said. “It was fun. Hadn’t seen the hole that big in a long time.”

Although he stumbled late with a double bogey-6 at No. 17 for a third-round 65 he was still pleased with his round and how he was able to turn his game around after struggling at Muirfield Village.

“It was game related [in Ohio]. I went home, had the week off and worked with my coach. He’s like, ‘What happened to you in two weeks?’” he laughed. “We just did a quick little setup change that helped at the time. I change something with my putter everyday, so I always think I have it, but today it worked and I’ll try again tomorrow.”