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Corales Championship

PGA Tour: WGC Dell Tech Match Play & Corales Puntacana Champ Wrap-Up

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By TERRY LYONS

It was a big weekend in PGA Tour golf with two tournaments in play, including the prestigious World Golf Championship – Dell Technologies Match Play competition in Austin, Texas. There was an interesting suggestion that the PGA Tour consider adding a “real” fifth major and making it a Match Play event. (The PLAYERS Championship has long been considered the “fifth” major).

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Here’s the weekend round-up:

World Golf Championship Dell Technologies Match Play Review & Notes

Billy Horschel defeated Scottie Scheffler in the Championship Match, 2 and 1, to earn his sixth career PGA Tour victory and first individual title since the 2017 AT&T Byron Nelson in Dallas.

Horschel has a win and runner-up in the first two World Golf Championships events of the season (T-2) at the WGCWorkday Championship at The Concession). Scottie Scheffler also finished in the top five at both those events.

With the win, Horschel becomes fully exempt on the PGA TOUR through the 2023-24 season.

Scheffler’s runner-up marks his career-best finish on TOUR

With his victory in the Consolation Match, 2013 champion Matt Kucharcollected his 34th match win, to draw to within two of Tiger Woods’ tournament record.

Corales Puntacana Championship: Review & Notes

Joel Dahmen won his first title in his 111th career start on Tour, at the age of 33 years, 4 months, 17 days. Dahmen opened his final round with four birdies en route to a front-nine 32. He played the back nine in 7-under this week as his only hiccups came during the final round with bogeys on Nos. 11 and 14.

Rafael Campos finished with a career-best T-2 in his 37th Tour start.

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PGA Tour: Corales Championship Round-Up

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DOMINICAN REPUBLIC – Tournament co-leader Joel Dahmen has played the back nine in 9-under this week in search of first Tour title in his 111th start.

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The 2016 Masters Tournament champion, Danny Willett, shot a (67) and seeks his second Tour title to join his triumph at Augusta National.

After shooting an opening round (73), Michael Gligic carded his second consecutive bogey-free round while seeking first Tour title in his 36th start. He and Willett are only one stroke back.

Puntacana Resort ambassador Emiliano Grillo (T-5) at (-8) carded nine birdies in first 15 holes, tying his career-most in a round, before closing bogey-par-bogey en route to 7-under (65). The round marked his sixth outing of 65 or better this season.

Leaderboard at Corales Championship

Joel Dahmen 67-71-68—206 (-10)

Rafael Campos 68-69-69—206 (-10)

Danny Willett 70-70-67—207 (-9)

Michael Gligic 73-66-68—207 (-9)

 

PGA Tour: Moving Day in the D.R.

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Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship

Rafael Campos (-7) posted a bogey-free 3-under (69) to hold second 36-hole lead/co-lead of his career (2016 Puerto Rico Open T-8). Campos is seeking his first Tour win in just his 37th start as he’s among a three-way tie for lead after two rounds.

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Paraguay native Fabrizio Zanotti and sponsor exemption Justin Suh hold 36-hole lead/co-lead for first time in their careers while Andrew Yun is attempting to become third Monday qualifier to win on Tour in last 35 years. Yan is T-6 (-5), only two strokes back.

Following a 6-under (66) in round one that included a hole-in-one at No. 2, Stephan Jaeger sits T-6 at 5-under along with Yun.

Tyler Duncan (T-4) at (-6) shot back-to-back rounds of (69), marking his best start at the event (MC/2018, T-59/2019).

Leaderboard at Corales Championship

Rafael Campos 68-69—137 (-7)

Fabrizio Zanotti 69-68—137 (-7)

Justin Suh 68-69—138 (-7)

Tyler Duncan 69-69—138 (-6)

Joel Dahmen 67-71—138 (-6)

PGA Tour: Match Play Starts Today

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AUSTIN – PGA Tour play this week consists of two tournaments. Starting today, the best of the best compete at the World Golf Championship-Dell Technologies Championship. Tomorrow, the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship begins with a B-list of professionals playing in the Dominican Republic. Here’s a look at both tournaments:

Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship

The Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship is the first PGA Tour event to be held in the Dominican Republic and it is now in its fourth year, with Brice Garnett claiming victory in its inaugural year of 2018, Graeme McDowell in 2019 and Hudson Swafford winning in 2020. Prior to 2018, the tournament had a two-year stint on the Korn Ferry Tour schedule where the winners were Dominic Bozzelli and Nate Lashley.

The field playing Thursday through Sunday in the Dominican Republic includes each of the five players who have victories at the Corales Golf Course, including Lashley (2017) and Bozzelli, who won the tournament as a Korn Ferry Tour title in (2016).

This is the first of three tournaments (U.S. Open, Masters) to be contested twice in the 2020-21 PGA Tour season which marks first time an event has been played twice in the same season in the last 70 years.

Brandon Hagy, who made the largest jump in the FedExCup (No. 178 to No. 77; 101 spots) with his runner-up at last week’s Honda Classic, will make his second start in the event (MC/2020).

The field includes some golf luminaries.

World Golf Hall of Fame members: Retief Goosen, Davis Love III

Five major champions: Retief Goosen (2001 & 2004 U.S. Open), Padraig Harrington (2007 & 2008 The Open Championship, 2008 PGA Championship), Davis Love III (1997 PGA Championship), Graeme McDowell (2010 U.S. Open), Charl Schwartzel (2011 Masters Championship), Danny Willett (2016 Masters Tournament).

Grupo Puntacana, which owns and operates Puntacana Resort & Club, serves as the host organization while the Corales Course is the tournament venue.

THIS WEEK on the PGA TOUR: Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Champ

COURSE: Corales Golf Club, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

ARCHITECT: Tom Fazio

YARDS/PAR: 7,670 yards/Par 72

PRIZE Money/First Place Winnings: $3,000,000/$540,000

DEFENDING Champion: Hudson Swafford – (Leaderboard link)

PAST RESULTS: (link)

PAST CHAMPIONS of Event: (link)

FEDEx CUP Points Available/Winner Share: 2,989/500

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedEXCup #CoralesChampionship @CoralesChamp

TV COVERAGE: Thursday, March 25 and Friday, March 26: 10:00am to 1:00pm (EDT) on Golf Channel. Saturday, March 27 10:00am to 5:00pm EDT on Golf Channel. and Sunday, March 28 – 2:30pm to 5:30pm (EDT) on Golf Channel. (WGC on NBC during those times).

STREAMING: PGA Tour Live will stream WGC.

PGA TOUR RADIO COVERAGE: Will cover WGC.

TEE TIMES: (link)

WEATHER: A few isolated showers with temperatures 71-84 degrees. Winds E-to-NE at 8-15 mph. Similar forecast for Friday-to-Sunday with winds 11-22 mph. 20% chance of rain.

The World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play, the only official head-to-head match play event on the PGA Tour schedule, returns to the PGA TOUR schedule after being canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19. This week, 64 of the top 69 players in the Official World Golf Ranking as of March 15 are in the field, including every player in the Top 10.

Reigning FedExCup champion and World No. 1 Dustin Johnson is seeking his seventh WGC victory. Johnson’s six WGC titles are second only to Tiger Woods (18). The 2018 WGC semifinalist Justin Thomas is making his first start on Tour since winning THE PLAYERS Championship.

There are five players who qualified but will not compete: Brooks Koepka, Adam Scott, Justin Rose, Tiger Woods, Gary Woodland.

Is Match Play a different game? Maybe so as no player has won the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play and gone on to win the FedExCup in the same season (best result: Luke Donald, (No. 3) in 2011.

Back in 2019: WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play champion Kevin Kisner holed a 20-foot birdie putt to close out Matt Kuchar, 3 and 2, to capture his third PGA Tour title and first World Golf Championships victory. In the 2019-20 season, the South Carolina native made 21 starts, qualified for each of the three FedExCup Playoffs events and finished No. 23 in the FedExCup standings.

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