Joel Dahmen, who led for the first three days, lost the tournament on the final holes.
PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic, April 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — South African golfer Garrick Higgo was crowned the new “King of Corales” following an unexpected victory at the 2025 Corales Puntacana Championship, after American Joel Dahmen, who had dominated the tournament’s first three rounds, faltered in the final holes, paving the way for Higgo’s triumph.
“I truly feel for Joel, who is a great friend. I would have preferred to win under different circumstances, but that’s the nature of golf. My gratitude to Grupo Puntacana for hosting such a great event. I hope to return in 2026,” said Higgo during the award ceremony, held at the 18th green of the Corales Golf Course at Puntacana Resort.
Higgo, who completed his final round earlier in the day with a total score of -14, had to wait as Dahmen, one hole behind, finished his round. Dahmen was in the lead up to the 15th hole but three consecutive bogeys on the treacherous final stretch known as the “Devil’s Elbow” (holes 16, 17, and 18) handed Higgo an unforeseen victory—his second win on the PGA TOUR. With this win, the 26-year-old South African earned USD$720,000 from a total purse of USD$4 million, along with 300 FedEx Cup points.
Dahmen’s collapse led to a five-way tie at -13 for second place, shared by Alejandro Tosti (ARG), Keith Mitchell (USA), Jeremy Paul (GER), Michael Thorbjornsen (USA), and Joel Dahmen (USA) himself. Americans Vince Whaley and Chan Kim tied for seventh at -12.
Willy Pumarol, the only Dominican player in the field, posted a final round of 72, carding three birdies (holes 4, 10, and 12) and three bogeys (holes 7, 9, and 18), for a total of 287 strokes (-1). Pumarol finished in a tie for 53rd place.
The two other Latin American players in the tournament were Alejandro Tosti (ARG), who shot a 68 (including an eagle, six birdies, and five bogeys) to finish at -13, tied for second, and Emiliano Grillo (ARG), who closed with a total score of 285 (-3) after a final-round 74, tying for 41st place.
Award Ceremony
As is tradition, the trophy was presented to the champion on the green of the 18th hole, in front of thousands of fans who gathered at Corales Golf Course to witness this remarkable sporting achievement.
The trophy, accompanied by the iconic white chacabana shirt and signature Corales hat, was presented by Mr. Frank Elías Rainieri, President & CEO of Grupo Puntacana; Mr. Frank Rainieri, Founder & Chairman of the Board of Grupo Puntacana; and Stephen Cox, PGA TOUR Chief Referee. They were joined by logistics aides Manuel Sajour, Julio Díaz, Hiram Silfa, Hernando Núñez, Jay Overton, and Cledy Córdoba.
The tournament has reached a media exposure of 4.8 billion impressions across national and international digital and print platforms in 153 countries, with 3.4 million viewers tuning in from the United States.
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SOURCE Grupo Puntacana
