2 eagles power Hoey to early contention at Wyndham
MANILA, Philippines — Rico Hoey sustained the momentum from his strong Rocket Classic campaign, overcoming a slow start with two eagles to fire a four-under 66. He thus moved into early contention in the opening round of the Wyndham Championship at the Sedgefield Country Club on Thursday (Friday Manila time) in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Although the long-hitting Filipino-American found himself tied for 23rd, five shots behind a hot-starting Beau Hossler, Hoey's opening effort reinforced the encouraging form he has shown in recent weeks and boosted hopes for an even stronger finish — or perhaps the long-awaited breakthrough performance — on the PGA Tour.
Fresh off a tied-for-15th finish at last week's Rocket Classic in Detroit, where he closed with a two-under 70, Hoey once again displayed the explosive scoring ability that has made him one of the Tour's emerging talents. If he can maintain the consistency he has shown over the last two tournaments, the ICTSI-backed standout could be poised to contend deep into the weekend.
Starting on the back nine of the par-70 layout, Hoey initially struggled to convert opportunities, missing four birdie putts from inside 14 feet. Rather than allowing the missed chances to derail his round, however, he responded emphatically at the par-5 15th, rolling in a 35-foot eagle putt to ignite his charge.
A bogey on the par-3 No. 16 briefly slowed his momentum after a wayward tee shot, but Hoey answered in spectacular fashion on the closing hole of his opening nine. From 159 yards out on the par-4 ninth, he holed his approach for his second eagle of the day for a 32.
Hoey continued to build on his solid round by knocking in a 14-foot birdie putt on the par-3 third to reach four-under. He had opportunities to go even lower but settled for pars coming home, including a missed 13-footer for birdie on the sixth, to finish with a confidence-boosting 66.
The strong opening round further underscored Hoey's growing confidence as he continues his search for a breakthrough result on the PGA Tour. With his power off the tee and ability to produce big numbers — as evidenced by his two eagles — he remains well positioned to climb the leaderboard over the final three rounds if his putter heats up.
Hossler set the early pace with a nine-under 61, highlighted by birdie streaks on Nos. 3-6 and the ninth, an eagle on the par-5 15th, and two more birdies coming in.
Close behind were Sahith Theegala and Ben James, who both fired 62s, while Eric Cole carded a 63. Six players opened with matching 64s, creating a tightly packed leaderboard in the $8.5-million championship and setting the stage for a wide-open battle over the next three rounds.
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