Corales Puntacana Championship Round 2: Todd Clements Goes Bogey-Free and Pulls Two Clear

Nine straight pars in the middle of a windy Friday usually means a round is stalling. For Todd Clements, it was just the calm before a closing burst that turned a shared lead into a clear one.

Clements shot a bogey-free 6-under 66 on Friday to reach 13-under 131 and take a two-shot lead at the Corales Puntacana Championship. Ben James (66), Johannes Veerman (67) and Gordon Sargent (67) are tied for second at 11 under. Alejandro Del Rey is alone in fifth at 10 under, Joe Highsmith is sixth at 9 under, and a six-man group sits at 8 under, five back. The full picture is on the official PGA TOUR leaderboard (opens in a new tab).

Patience, Then a Sprint

Clements started on the back nine and picked up early birdies at the 10th and 12th. Then the card went quiet. Nine pars in a row, through the Devil's Elbow and around the turn, with the wind keeping everyone honest.

The burst came late. Clements rolled in consecutive 7-footers at the fourth and fifth, the second set up by a 161-yard approach, then tapped in for birdie at the par-5 seventh. The finish was the best moment of the day: a putt of about 20 feet from the back of the green at the par-3 ninth that dropped for a fourth birdie in the last six holes.

"Read it well and just went in the right speed so I was delighted to see that one drop," Clements said, per the AP.

After opening with a 65 on Thursday, the Englishman has now gone 65-66 and has not made a bogey since the 17th hole of the first round. Asked about the weekend, the plan sounded refreshingly dull. "Just going to keep trying to do the same things," Clements said.

The Rookie in the Chase

The most interesting name in the chase belongs to Ben James. The former Virginia standout is making his fifth professional start after earning a spot through the PGA TOUR University Ranking, and he went bogey-free for a 66 to climb into a share of second.

James' weekend philosophy matched the leader's for simplicity. "Just pretty much just do the same thing, hit it nice and putt it nice," James said. "That's it. Keep it simple."

Sargent also kept bogeys off the card for a second straight day. Per Field Level Media, Sargent talked about not trying to do too much and not putting extra pressure on any single week in a season of 20-plus starts. Veerman got to 11 under thanks to four straight birdies on the back nine.

Del Rey, a DP World Tour winner last season in Ras Al Khaimah, posted 68 and is three back. Highsmith shot 67 and sits four behind.

A Crowded Middle

The 8-under group is where things get dense. Ivan Cantero Gutierrez, who shared the first-round lead, cooled off with a 71 and slid into a tie for seventh. Joining him there are Blades Brown (69), the 19-year-old Special Temporary Member, Italy's Stefano Mazzoli (69), Jacob Skov Olesen, Thomas Rosenmueller and Marcel Schneider.

One more shot back at 7 under is a group with some name value. Joel Dahmen, who led after 54 holes here last year, is there along with Filippo Celli, Max McGreevy, Patrick Fishburn, Aaron Wise and Marcus Helligkilde. Wise arrived off a tie for third at the ISCO Championship, one shot out of that playoff, so the form is real.

Brandt Snedeker, the U.S. Presidents Cup captain, shot 68 and is tied for 19th at 6 under, seven back.

The Cut Takes Its Toll

The cut fell at 3-under 141, with 82 players moving on to the weekend. Nobody felt that line more than Austin Eckroat. One shot off the lead after an opening 66, the two-time PGA TOUR winner shot 76 on Friday and missed by one at 2 under. Adam Hadwin also finished at 2 under and is headed home.

Defending champion Garrick Higgo is safely through at 4-under 140, nine shots back. Higgo won here in 2025 when Dahmen bogeyed the final three holes, as we covered in our 2025 final-round recap. Danny Willett (2 over) and sponsor invite Sangmoon Bae (8 over) missed the cut, and Rikuya Hoshino withdrew.

Two Shots and 36 Holes

The leaderboard tells a story about this event's identity. With the stars at the Open, the top of the board belongs to DP World Tour members fighting for status, a rookie pro in his fifth start, and players like Sargent still chasing a first TOUR title. Clements, whose lone DP World Tour title came at the 2023 Czech Masters, missed the cut last week in Kentucky. Now he holds the 36-hole lead with a PGA TOUR card on the line for the winner.

Two shots is a cushion, not a wall. Eleven players are within five, the Corales layout has been gusty all week, and the Devil's Elbow is waiting at the end of every round. Catch up on Thursday in our Round 1 recap, and the PGA TOUR's Round 2 recap (opens in a new tab) has more.

What we know after Friday: Clements has not blinked since Thursday's 17th hole, and the three players two back have not made many mistakes either.

Sources: PGA TOUR (AP round recap, tournament preview and leaderboard), AP, Field Level Media, DP World Tour, Golf Today. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.