Nicolai Hojgaard of Denmark and Sam Stevens, a PGA TOUR rookie, share the lead at the Corales Puntacana Championship after both players finished the third round at 14-under 202. Stevens held the lead on the back nine of the Corales course but bogeyed the 16th hole, making a birdie on the par-3 17th and finishing with a bogey on the 18th for a 68. Meanwhile, Hojgaard played bogey-free with a 6-under 66, missing only one green. They hold a one-shot lead over a large group of players that includes 36-hole leader Matt Wallace of England, Tyler Duncan, and Thomas Detry of Belgium.
The players faced a challenging wind during the third round, which was especially strong on the closing holes. Hojgaard, who won twice on the DP World Tour, is a sponsor exemption and feels comfortable playing in the wind, having grown up in Denmark where it is windy most of the time. Detry, the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 82, shot a 65, nearly winning in Bermuda last fall, one shot behind Seamus Power.
A win at Punta Cana would give Hojgaard a two-year exemption on the PGA TOUR, and he currently sits at No. 28 in the Race to Dubai points list in Europe. The top ten players not already exempt have access to PGA TOUR membership this year. A victory for Detry, however, would not be enough for him to crack the top 50 and earn him a spot in the Masters since Punta Cana is an opposite-field event.
