The 2026 Corales Puntacana Championship, the final opposite-field event on the PGA Tour’s calendar this year, was a great chance for all those not in The Open to notch a victory and earn a coveted two-year exemption.
The leaderboard down the stretch Sunday in the Dominican Republic featured young guns Gordon Sargent, Ben James and Blades Brown, but it was Italy’s Stefano Mazzoli stealing everyone’s thunder. He was the lone golfer to get to 20 under for the week after a final-round 6-under 66 on one of the PGA Tour’s longest golf courses. That was enough to edge Sargent and England’s Todd Clements by a shot.
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Mazzoli is a DP World Tour rookie sitting 424th in the most recent world ranking. He won the 2015 European Amateur Championship but had yet to win as a professional. He missed the cut in a different PGA Tour opposite-field event last week ago at the ISCO Championship. His only other start came in The Open a decade ago.
Mazzoli had but two blips on his final-round scorecard: bogeys on Nos. 5 and 11. He countered that with birdies at Nos. 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 12, 14, and of course, the biggest one of the day on No. 18.
Stefano Mazzoli reacts after making a birdie on the 18th hole during the final round of the 2026 Corales Puntacana Championship at Puntacana Resort & Club.
Gordon Sargent posts best PGA Tour finish
Nearly three years ago, Gordon Sargent made history. A then-20-year-old junior at Vanderbilt, he became the first player to earn PGA Tour membership via PGA Tour University Accelerated. But he deferred his promotion, choosing to return to Vanderbilt for his season season.
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In 2026, Sargent missed the first four cuts of the year and has made just five of 13 cuts, including this week. In March he tied for eighth at the Puerto Rico Open. This week, he posted his best PGA Tour pro outing. He shot all four rounds in the 60s (66-67-69-67) including a final-round 5-under day to finish 19 under.
Gordon Sargenthits a tee shot on the first hole during the final round of the 2026 Corales Puntacana Championship at Puntacana Resort & Club.
“Playing in the second last group I guess both days, just kind of feeding often the guys in your group. Kind of struggled a little bit yesterday afternoon on the back nine but it was nice to kind of hang in there and give myself a chance going into today,” Sargent said. “Played nicely today. I don’t have obviously liked to have a couple better but that’s how it works.
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“Obviously it’s a crucial part in the season, so nice to get a little confidence and yeah, hopefully carry it the next couple weeks.”
Where is the Corales Puntacana Championship played?
Puntacana Resort & Club’s Corales Golf Course in the Dominican Republic was the host venue once again. It ranks No. 9 on the Golfweek’s Best list of the Top 50 courses in Mexico, Caribbean, Atlantic islands, Central America. This Tom Fazio-design opened in 2010 and will play at par 72 and measure 7,670 yards, making it one of the longest courses on the PGA Tour. This even was previously played in April but moved to July in 2026.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: DP World rookie Stefano Mazzoli wins 2026 Corales Puntacana in just third PGA Tour start