Garrick Higgo Wins Corales Puntacana Championship After Late Joel Dahmen Collapse

Ahead of the final round of the Corales Puntacana Championship, Joel Dahmen was in prime position to win the tournament for the second time, taking a three-shot lead into Sunday.

However, he would have known the threat posed by the chasing pack with Michael Thorbjornsen, Chan Kim and Garrick Higgo all in contention at 14-under, and Vince Whaley, Jeremy Paul and Ben Martin just four off the lead.

Still, Dahmen, who won the tournament four years ago, kept his nose in front deep into the back nine after bogeys on the second and fifth were offset by birdies on the fourth and 11^th. Nevertheless, the threat of his lead being wiped out was always present, with Higgo and Thorbjornsen in particular looking capable of mounting a charge for the title.

Another bogey followed for Dahmen on the 16^th, but with Higgo in the process of completing a round of 72 to leave him on 14-under and Thorbjornsen on the same score approaching the 18th, Dahmen remained one in front as he teed off on the 17^th.

Soon after, things unraveled for the American. On the 17th green, he faced a par putt from inches, which would have left him needing just another par to take the title, but instead, he somehow missed, leaving him with his second bogey in succession.

Thorbjornsen’s challenge then came to an end when he bogeyed the 18^th, leaving the equation straightforward – if Dahmen made birdie or better on the 18^th, he’d win. If he made par, extra holes would be needed.

With Higgo back on the range in anticipation of the latter, it got even better for the South African when Dahmen faced a par putt on the 18^th. It rolled wide. That led to celebrations for Higgo, but for Dahmen, it meant that, after sitting on top of the leaderboard for the vast majority of the tournament, his challenge had come undone on the final three holes.

Following his late capitulation, Dahmen admitted he was stunned, although he was honest about the outcome., saying: "I think I'm in a little bit of shock, honestly. It's not how you win a golf tournament, I'll tell you that. I don't deserve to win it. You know, bogeying the last three is inexcusable."

Higgo secured his maiden PGA Tour title in his second appearance on the circuit when he won the 2021 Palmetto Championship. Claiming his second title took far longer, and he admitted afterwards that, despite the victory, his game still needs some work.

He said: “It's just a lot of validation, and I still think my game has got a lot of places to go. This week was obviously a big step in the right direction but it's been trending and you have to - you go through a lot of dips and, you know, yeah, there's a lot of dark places this game takes you.”