PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic -- Joel Dahmen was eight shots behind before he even teed off Thursday, and then set the course record with a 10-under 62 to take a two-shot lead in the Corales Puntacana Championship.
Dahmen, whose lone PGA Tour victory was four years ago at this opposite-field tournament in the Dominican Republic, finished with three birdies over his last four holes on the Corales course at Puntacana Resort.
He led by two shots over Keith Mitchell, Garrick Higgo and Matt Wallace on a day when just over half of the 132-man field shot in the 60s.
Dahmen played in the afternoon, but the wind was relatively calm all day.
The winner of the tournament gets a two-year exemption and a spot in the PGA Championship next month. It is being held the same week as the RBC Heritage, a signature event in South Carolina.
