The Waste Management Phoenix Open over the weekend confirmed Joel Dahmen’s sponsor exemptions for the 2026 edition. Tournament Chairman Jason Eisenberg in a release stated that the 38-year-old will make his eighth appearance in the competition as an exempt alongside Sahith Theegala and Tour veteran Charley Hoffman.
Days after the field confirmation, Dahmen has come out to reveal that he sent the event a letter requesting a sponsor’s invite. Moreover, the golfer hilariously admitted sending the request on a polo, making a callback to the 2022 edition of the tournament, when he and Harry Higgs famously went shirtless on the 16th at TPC Scottsdale.
Interestingly, the one-time PGA Tour winner shared the letter he sent Chance Cozby, the Executive Director of The Thunderbirds, the organization hosting the event. In the letter, the golfer jokes about planning “to keep my shirt on at all times – unless directed otherwise.”
Joel Dahmen’s letter written on a polo read:
“I’m writing to respectfully request a sponsor exemption into the 2026 WM Phoenix Open. As a Scottsdale resident, this tournament has always meant more to me than a typical Tour stop – it’s home… Over the years, I’ve tried to embrace what makes the WM different: the fans, the atmosphere, and the understanding that personality is part of the product. I like to think I’ve contributed positively to that identity and helped showcase why this tournament stands apart on the schedule.
And for clarity, if granted an exemption in 2026, I can confidently say I plan to keep my shirt on at all times – unless directed otherwise by the Thunderbirds… I care deeply about the WM, the Thunderbirds, and the role this tournament plays in representing Scottsdale to the golf world… I’d be honored for the opportunity to tee it up again in 2026 and be part of another unforgettable WM Phoenix Open.”
Dahmen shared the image of the letter-printed polo on Instagram and said he took it to The Thunderbirds’ office himself.
Joel Dahmen’s shirtless incident at WM Phoenix Open
For the unversed, Dahmen played a hilarious game with fans on Twitter ahead of the final round of the 2022 WM Phoenix Open. The golfer shared a tweet on Saturday evening promising his playing partner Harry Higgs would take off his shirt on the hole if the post in question got a certain number of retweets. Fans on Sunday came ready for some debauchery and the Dahmen-Higgs duo didn’t fail.
Both players arrived at the hole for the final round of the tournament and continued play as usual until Higgs rolled in a par putt to sign off for the day. He immediately lifted his shirt and flashed the crowd. The crowd went wild when Dahmen pulled a stunt of his own and took off his shirt completely.
The duo’s action sent fans at the party hole into a frenzy and the flashing players were dealt flying beer cans from the stands.
Recalling the incident in a 2023 episode of GOLF’s Subpar podcast, Higgs said:
“I did it (took off shirt) and grabbed my ball out of the hole. And I turned around and Joel (Dahmen) did not have at least half of his clothing on. So that even upped the level of excitement… And then at that point, we looked up and saw a couple hundred beer cans flying at us and it was like, ‘oh s***, we gotta get out of here.’”
The duo now returns to TPC Scottsdale this weekend for the latest edition of the WM Phoenix Open.
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