Corales Puntacana Championship Round 3: Todd Clements Sets the 54-Hole Record and Keeps Ben James at Bay

The wind got stronger on Saturday. Todd Clements did not get any shakier.

With gusts reaching 25 mph at Puntacana Resort and Club, Clements shot 5-under 67 to reach 18-under 198 and carry a two-shot lead into the final round of the Corales Puntacana Championship. Ben James matched that 67 and sits alone in second at 16 under, the only player within three. Max McGreevy (65), Stefano Mazzoli (66) and Gordon Sargent (69) are tied for third at 14 under, and five more players are bunched at 13 under. Check the official PGA TOUR leaderboard (opens in a new tab) for the full board.

A Record Total and a Familiar Warning

Clements has now gone 65-66-67, and the 198 is a tournament record for 54 holes, per Field Level Media. The previous mark of 199 was shared by Adam Long in 2021, Wesley Bryan in 2024 and Joel Dahmen last year. Here is the catch: none of those three went on to win.

Dahmen's collapse is still fresh. Dahmen led after each of the first three rounds here in 2025 before bogeying the final three holes, opening the door for Garrick Higgo, as we covered in our 2025 final-round recap. Corales has a habit of making 54-hole leaders earn every last shot.

None of that history seemed to be weighing on Clements. A 220-yard approach set up a birdie at the 14th, one of the swings that kept the cushion intact while the wind picked up. The 198 is also his lowest 54-hole total on the PGA TOUR, beating a 204 at the 2024 Barracuda Championship, and it is the first time he has led a TOUR event after three rounds, according to Golf Today.

"There's a lot of golf left to go," Clements said, per the AP. He was also refreshingly honest about the moment. "You don't turn up to any tournament not trying to win," Clements said. "Did I think it would be this week? Not sure, but here we are."

James Refuses to Blink

Ben James is in the final pairing on Sunday, and that sentence alone is remarkable. The former Virginia star is making his fifth professional start, earned his place through the PGA TOUR University Ranking, and has now strung together 67-66-67. That is three straight rounds in the 60s on a windy course with the lead group bearing down.

"I'm playing some good golf," James said. "I'm really excited for tomorrow. We'll try to keep it going. Very excited for hopefully a good day."

Two shots is the gap. Nobody else is closer than four.

McGreevy Finds Another Gear

The best round of the day belonged to Max McGreevy. Out in 3 under through nine holes, McGreevy made eagle at the 12th by chipping in, and that spark carried a 7-under 65 that matched the day's low score. McGreevy told Field Level Media the eagle was the push to finish strong and keep climbing while the leaders kept making birdies. At 14 under, the plan worked.

Mazzoli was nearly as good. The Italian rookie on the DP World Tour shot 66, his lowest round on the PGA TOUR per Golf Today, and sits four back alongside McGreevy. Sargent went the other way, grinding out a 69 that meant sliding from a share of second to a share of third. Sargent is still four back, which on this course is not much.

Blades Brown's Highlight Reel

The loudest shot of the day may have come from the 19-year-old Special Temporary Member. Blades Brown chipped in from 85 feet for eagle at the par-5 seventh, part of a 67 that moved Brown to 13 under, five back. Brown is learning on the fly with a heavy schedule and sounded like it.

"This is what I love about this," Brown said. "I'm playing a lot of weeks on the road and I'm learning my recipe for success. I'm just going to keep knocking on the door."

Brown shares sixth with Aaron Wise (66), Marcel Schneider, Jacob Skov Olesen and Joe Highsmith. Will Gordon (65), Dylan Frittelli (66) and Thomas Rosenmueller are another shot back at 12 under. Johannes Veerman, who started the day tied for second, shot 73 and slipped to 10 under, eight back.

The Final 18

Sunday sets up as a referendum on nerve. Clements has a record total, a two-shot cushion and a playing partner in only his fifth start as a pro. The three players at 14 under start four back, which is not much at Corales. And the Devil's Elbow, the three-hole closing stretch along the water, is where this tournament has turned before.

There is plenty riding on it. The winner gets a PGA TOUR card and 300 FedExCup points for a member, and for a DP World Tour player like Clements, a ticket to a new tour. Catch up on how we got here in our Round 1 recap and Round 2 recap. The PGA TOUR's Round 3 recap (opens in a new tab) has more.

What we know after Saturday: the record says Clements is the man to beat, and the history of this event says nobody should hand over the trophy yet.

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

Photo: PGA TOUR.