Clarkston native Joel Dahmen’s bid for a wire-to-wire victory at the Corales Puntacana Championship came up agonizingly short on the finishing holes.
Dahmen, who led after each of the first three rounds, lost his grip on a one-shot lead with bogeys on each of the last three holes Sunday at Corales Golf Course in the Dominican Republic.
Garrick Higgo, playing in the group ahead of Dahmen, navigated the same stretch with two pars and a bogey to win the title by one stroke over Dahmen, who dropped into a five-way tie for second place.
Dahmen was closing in on his second PGA Tour win – his first came at the same tournament in 2021 – but his putter went cold late and Higgo, a 25-year-old native of South Africa, took advantage for his second tour victory.
Dahmen’s approach on the par-4 16th was long left and his 12-foot par putt lipped out. His tee ball on the 205-yard 17th just missed the putting surface and his second shot stopped about 2 feet from the hole, but his par putt dove left and lipped out.
Dahmen, 37, went to the par-4, 501-yard 18th tied with Higgo and Michael Thorbjornsen at 14 under. Higgo, who closed with a par 72, had a good look at birdie but came up short from 8 feet. Thorbjornsen missed a 5-foot par putt to finish 13 under.
Dahmen’s drive found the left side of the fairway, but his approach from 211 yards missed the green right. His chip settled about 7 feet below the hole and his par putt missed left.
It was a disappointing conclusion for Dahmen, who entered the day with a three-shot lead and battled gusty conditions to lead through 16 holes. Steady winds resulted in high scores for a second consecutive day with just four sub-70 rounds among the top 25 finishers.
The scenic last three holes are perhaps the toughest stretch on the course and carry the nickname the “Devil’s Elbow.” Nos. 16, 17 and 18 ranked as the seventh, first and eighth toughest holes during the tournament. On Sunday, No. 16 was ninth and 17 and 18 shared second toughest.
Dahmen set the course record with a first-round 62. He followed with rounds of 66, 71 and 76.
Higgo’s victory comes with fully exempt status through the 2027 season, 300 FedEx Cup points, spots in the Charles Schwab Challenge and next month’s PGA Championship and a spot in the 2026 Players Championship.
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