Hojgaard, Stevens tied at Punta Cana
PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic — Nicolai Hojgaard of Denmark played bogey-free Saturday for a 6-under 66 and shared the lead with PGA Tour rookie Sam Stevens in the Corales Punta Cana Championship.
Stevens twice had the lead down the stretch on the Corales course until a wobbly finish, making bogey on the 16th, answering with a birdie on the par-3 17th and then missing the 18th green for a closing bogey and a 68.
They were at 14-under 202, one shot ahead of a large group that included 36-hole leader Matt Wallace of England, Thomas Detry of Belgium and Tyler Duncan, who won his only PGA Tour title at Sea Island in 2019.
“Sixteen, I kind of misjudged the wind and sliced it and made a bogey there. Then 18, I just hit a bad
iron shot,” Stevens said. “That was my worst swing of the day. I felt pretty good about everything else.”
All of them had to deal with a relentless wind, which was particularly strong during the closing holes that likely will decide the tournament on Sunday.
Hojgaard, the 22-yearold twin of Rasmus Hojgaard, is a two-time winner on the European tour who is playing on a sponsor exemption. The more it blows, the better he feels.
“In Denmark, it’s quite windy all the time, so I’m used to wind, but it’s still more windy here than it is normally,” he said. “Feeling comfortable. As soon as you hit a couple shots where the ball does exactly what you want it to do and then you just go from there. It’s about using the wind as your friend instead of fighting it all the time.”
Hojgaard missed only one green.
LPGA:
Celine Boutier shot 65 Saturday at the LPGA Drive On Championship in Gold Canyon, Ariz., to take a one-shot lead into the final round. Hae Ran Ryu (64), Alison Lee (67) and Moriya Jutanugarn (69) were tied for second place. Ariya Jutanugarn and Celine Borge were another shot back at 14 under, tied for fifth place going into the final round at Superstition Mountain Golf &
Country Club.
Champions: David Toms shot 70 in the second round of the Galleri Classic to move to 9 under and take a one-shot lead into the final round. Kevin Sutherland is a stroke back of the lead, and one ahead of four golfers, Steve Stricker, Rocco Mediate, Steven Alker and Harry Rudolph. Eight golfers are tied at 6 under, including Fred Couples, Padraig Harrington and Vijay Singh.
DP World: Alexander Knappe overtook fellow German Nick Bachem to take a one-shot lead into the final round of the Jonsson Workwear Open as he chases a first European tour title. Knappe moved to 17 under par overall after collecting eight birdies in his third-round, 7-under 65 at The Club at Steyn City in Johannesburg. He could have had a two-shot lead if not for a bogey on No. 17, his first dropped shot since the first round. Bachem, who led by one overnight, is still in contention in a four-way tie for second after a 69. Sweden's Joakim Lagergren surged up the leaderboard to join that tie for second after carding the round of the week, a flawless 9-under 63. South Africa's Hennie du Plessis and Malaysia's Gavin Green are also at 16 under.