Joel Dahmen shot another sterling round to extend his lead to four shots at the Corales Puntacana Championship on Friday in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
Dahmen’s 6-under-par 66 brought him to 16-under 128 — setting the 36-hole tournament record one day after his 62 broke the course record at Puntacana Resort’s Corales Golf Course.
Five of his six birdies Friday came on the front nine; he has 16 birdies and no bogeys halfway through the tournament.
“I mean, 16’s pretty good anywhere you’re playing,” Dahmen said. “Yesterday played a lot easier, it was calm most of the day. We had it relatively calm for the front nine, it really picked up on the back. The afternoon wave’s definitely going to have it harder, so I’m happy with my — happy with where I’m at, for sure.”
Dahmen’s only win on the PGA Tour came at this event in 2021, with a winning score of just 12 under.
A fan favorite from his social media activity and his appearances on the Netflix series “Full Swing,” Dahmen has dropped to No. 176 in the world rankings and is working to get his game back on track.
“Yeah, it’s just fun, I’ve never been in this position before,” Dahmen said. “Maybe back in my amateur days or something like that. But I feel like I did a good job of not protecting. I didn’t see a scoreboard honestly until 18 green.”
Tied for second at 12 under are Garrick Higgo of South Africa (68), Charley Hoffman (66) and Michael Thorbjornsen, who fired the round of the day with a 9-under 63.
Thorbjornsen, 23, earned his PGA Tour card through 2025 by finishing first in the PGA Tour University rankings at the end of the 2023-24 college golf season. Now he’s hunting for his first victory; he has finished no better than T39 at an event this year.
His bogey-free round included eagles at a pair of par-5s, the seventh and 12th holes. He said his tee shot at No. 7 wound up in an animal burrowing of some sort.
“My playing competitors, they almost finished the hole by the time we got a ruling,” Thorbjornsen said. “Honestly, like a decent break but unlucky at the same time. So I hit an 8-iron from 180, started left edge of the green, floated right back toward the pin (to set up the eagle putt).”
Chan Kim (66), Dylan Wu (67) and Keith Mitchell (69) are tied for fifth at 11 under. Matt NeSmith (69), Will Chandler (68) and England’s Matt Wallace (70) are at 10 under.
–Field Level Media
