Joel Dahmen sets 36-hole tournament record, leads by four at Corales Puntacana Championship

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic (AP) — Joel Dahmen played bogey-free for the second straight day for a 6-under 66 to set the 36-hole record at the Corales Puntacana Championship and build a four-shot lead going into the weekend at the site of his only PGA TOUR victory.

Dahmen won the tournament in 2021, and another victory would be a boost. It won't get him into the Masters next year, but Dahmen narrowly kept his PGA TOUR card last year and winning is worth a two-year exemption.

Michael Thorbjornsen, the Stanford alum who earned a card through the PGA TOUR University ranking, matched his career best with a 63 and was four shots behind along with Garrick Higgo (68) and Charley Hoffman (66).

Dahmen, the only player without a bogey on his card this week on the Corales Golf Course at Puntacana Resort, was at 16-under 128 to set the tournament record through two rounds. It's also his career low.

Among those making the cut at 3-under 141 was Ben Polland, who next week defends his title in the PGA Professional Championship.