Graeme McDowell Fires 64, Leads by One in Dominican Republic

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic – Graeme McDowell needed only 20 putts Saturday, and it could have been fewer.

The three-time TOUR winner rode a hot putter at the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship to shoot his second-consecutive 64 and will hold the solo lead going into Sunday at 15-under.

It’ll be the first time McDowell will play in a Sunday final group since The RSM Classic in 2015.

It’s been quite the turnaround this week for McDowell, who hit his tee shot into the ocean-side rocks on his final hole of the day Thursday. His back-to-back 64's have been his lowest rounds on TOUR in relation to par since the 2015 Mayakoba Golf Classic, which he went on to win.

McDowell started the day with 15-straight one putts, and although McDowell didn’t tie the all-time record for fewest putts on TOUR in a single round (18, held by eight people), he was pleased with his effort on the greens Saturday.

He said when he got to the par-5 12th he had a feeling something good was happening.

“I think after I knocked the one in on 12, I said to (my caddie) 'Is that 12 one-putts in a row?' To be honest with you, when I was standing over those three-footers on 14 and 15, I was more nervous about (them) and that I didn't want to spoil my round of putts,” he said. “I hit a great shot into 16, I hit a really good putt there and my run came to an end. But it was a fun day.”

McDowell credited an old breathing technique as the key to his success with the flat-stick. Before he takes the putter away, he said he started doing an out-breath to relax.

That small thing played a big role Saturday.

“It's something I used to do very well way back when, and it's amazing how you instinctively get good at things and then you stop being good at things as well,” he said. “That's cleaned my routines well up on the greens.”

McDowell said, although he didn’t feel like he was “in the zone,” it was one of those days where a combination of factors allowed him to play good golf.

He had a good group, he said, and despite some intermittent rain all day, he couldn’t help but marvel at the setting of the Corales Golf Course.

“I wouldn't really say I was in the zone out there as much as I was just having some fun,” he said.

Although McDowell won’t automatically earn a berth into The Open Championship with a win Sunday – which is his biggest goal for 2019, since it’ll be played at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland – a victory will earn him some solid FedExCup points, something he touched on pre-tournament as a big reason for him playing this week.

McDowell finished 144th on the FedExCup standings last season and is 119th so far in 2018-19, after taking the whole of January off to battle a wrist injury.

There’s a lot of golf left to be played this week, he said, but he’s looking forward to Sunday’s finale after backing up his low round Friday with another one Saturday.

“I've got to go back out here tomorrow and try and play well. At some point – my caddie keeps saying to me – at some point I'm going to get tired of messing it up,” McDowell said with a laugh. “I'm enjoying being out there and being in contention.”

McDowell will play with Chris Stroud – who matched McDowell’s 64 on Saturday – and 36-hole leader Sungjae Im in Sunday’s final group.