Tyler Duncan takes lead at Safeway Open

There's been little to celebrate for Joel Dahmen through the early part of 2021, but that could change in a big way in Punta Cana. Dahmen, who shot a 4-under-par 68 in the third round at the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship, heads into Sunday's finale tied for the lead with local favorite Rafael Campos. Campos, who is from Puerto Rico but calls the Dominican his second home, drained a birdie on the difficult par-4 18th from off the green to tie Dahmen at 10-under, much to the joy of the small crowd on site this week. Michael Gligic and Danny Willett are a shot back at 9-under and tied for third. Gligic is, like Campos and Dahmen, searching for his first TOUR win. Dahmen, meanwhile, has made only one cut in the 2021 portion of this season, a T60 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. After Thursday's 67 - only his second round in the 60's in 2021 - he admitted his clubs were bent incorrectly earlier this year. While his swing was sound, the ball wasn't flying the way he was hoping it would. His coach in Arizona, Rob Rashell, got him back to normal. "I played four weeks basically, with maybe clubs that weren't fit properly. And that sucks, obviously," said Dahmen. "Things were squirrelly at the beginning of this year and I felt like I was playing better than I was scoring and we kind of worked through some of those things. Then you work on your swing, you don’t chip and putt as much, so I knew it was all right there, I knew I would wake up one day and it was going to be there. "I was putting in the time, I was putting in the effort, just doing the right things. But golf’s really hard that way." He said despite the results being "ugly" so far in 2021, he said he's been hitting it well, and it's showed through 54 holes in Punta Cana. "I've been getting my butt kicked out here since the start of the year, so it feels good to play well," said Dahmen. Dahmen's third-round 68 included four birdies on the windswept back nine at Corales. He admitted his putter has been "hot and cold" this week but gave himself a kick after making the turn Saturday. He saw he was going down the leaderboard, but felt like, the way he was hitting it, he should be moving up. He made birdie on No's 9 and 10, added a couple more on both the par fives, and saved par on the tricky par-3 17th and par-4 18th, after a poor tee shot, to finish it off. Dahmen felt he should have been in the World Golf Championship-Dell Technologies Match Play field based on his body of work in 2020 (he was ranked as high as 64th in the world at the end of last year) and despite thinking he was going to take this week off, not getting into the Match Play was the motivation he needed to tee it up at Corales. Dahmen's been a mainstay on the PGA TOUR since he finished 80th on the FedExCup standings in 2018. He's gotten better every year since, finishing 55th in 2019 and 38th last season. This coming a half-decade on Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada until his breakout season in 2014 when he won twice and was Player of the Year. The 33-year-old's journey in professional golf - including beating testicular cancer when he was 23 - has been well documented, and now he'll be in the final group on Sunday on the PGA TOUR for the first time. He credits his wife, Lona, for supporting all of his on-course success over the nine years they've been together. The couple calls Scottsdale home and have been married for two years now - with Lona documenting much of their travels on her well-followed Instagram account, @TravelEatsAndTreats. She worked two jobs to pay rent when Dahmen was trying to get to the TOUR and said she's always been a positive influence on his life. "I just had a rough seven, eight weeks, it’s not that bad, but the way I play - super consistent, make a lot of cuts - you know, it seemed like it was pretty bad. It’s never as bad as you think it is, it’s never as good as you think it is, and Lona’s been great for me," said Dahmen of his 2021. "She still gives me a hug and a kiss and tells me to go kick butt, so it’s been good." And with Dahmen tied for the lead and 18 holes away from his first PGA TOUR victory, there might be an even better reason for a hug and a kiss Sunday night.

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The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook installed former Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo as a 10,000-to-1 long shot to win this week’s AT&T Byron Nelson in Dallas.

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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Brooks Koepka’s quest to be the first player to win three consecutive U.S. Open’s since Willie Anderson over a century ago is well and truly alive. The PGA TOUR Player of the Year shot a 3-under 68 on Saturday at Pebble Beach to move to 7-under for the championship. It puts the four-time major winner into a tie for third place, four shots back of leader Gary Woodland. Not since Scotsman Anderson in 1903-1905 has anyone won America’s national championship three years in a row. But Koepka has made a habit of greatness in big events lately. Koepka claimed the PGA Championship last month, his fourth major in his last eight major starts. Should he claim a fifth in nine starts on Sunday he will be the first to do so since Tiger Woods won six majors in nine major starts between the 2000 and 2002 U.S. Opens. “I feel good. I feel like if I can just make a few putts, I feel like I could be right there, right next to Gary. And it’s been very close. I’m pleased how I’m playing. I’m pleased how I’m striking the ball,â€� Koepka said. “And I feel as confident as ever right now. It’s probably the best ball-striking week I’ve had… to hit as many greens as I have the last two days, the ball-striking is right where I want it. I feel like eventually these birdies have to come. I’ve hit so many good putts that just haven’t gone in.â€� Koepka has indeed hit the ball well. He leads the field in Greens in Regulation (76percent) and Strokes Gained: Approach (+6.97). While he believes that will continue to be an asset on Sunday, his biggest weapon will be his calm demeanor and experience in the hot seat. Woodland is yet to win a major and while 2013 U.S. Open champion Justin Rose is also three clear of Koepka the American likes his chances. “(My strength is) just having been in the position I’m in. Feels like almost every major right now. Second at Augusta. I felt like I’ve put myself in good chances where I’m very comfortable around that,â€� he adds. While the first seven holes at Pebble have been the place to grab the birdies this week Koepka says he won’t target them specifically in his chase to victory. Inside that stretch are the three easiest of the week – the par-5 6th, the par-4 4th and the iconic par-3 7th. The par-4 1st (13th hardest) and par-4 3rd (11th) have also been picked apart. In his four previous major wins Koepka has led by seven, led by one, been tied for the lead and been one behind at 54 holes. He’s not come from this far back before. “I don’t need to go out and chase. I don’t need to do much. Just kind of let it come to you,â€� Koepka claimed. “But it would be nice to get off to a good start, be 3-under through 7, somewhere around there, take advantage of those opening holes. And you never know what’s going to happen. “(I’ll be) trying to be three back going into the back nine, you never know from there, see what happens. Make a couple of birdies, put some pressure on guys. “And from there, if I win, great; if not, I felt I’ve given it all I had this week and it’s just not my week.â€�

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