Strong 67 start propels Hoey in 3M Open contention
MANILA, Philippines — Rico Hoey put himself in position for what could be a breakthrough week on the PGA Tour.
Hoey overcame a shaky start on the back nine with a brilliant front-side charge to fire a four-under 67 and gain a share of 14th at the start of the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minnesota on Thursday (Friday Manila time).
The long-hitting Filipino-American stood five shots behind leader Ben Kohles, but his strong finish offered plenty of encouragement as he seeks to contend for his first PGA Tour title in the $8.8-million championship.
Looking to bounce back from a disappointing tie for 67th in the Corales Puntacana Championship, the ICTSI-backed Hoey weathered an uneven opening stretch after starting on the back nine. He mixed two birdies with a bogey before catching fire over his closing holes.
After opening with pars on Nos. 10 and 11, Hoey reached the par-5 12th in two and converted a two-putt birdie. He dropped a shot on No. 14 after three-putting from 19 feet and missed birdie opportunities from inside 13 feet on the next two holes before recovering with another two-putt birdie on the par-5 18th for a one-under outward 35.
He shifted into another gear on the front nine.
Hoey knocked his approach from 146 yards to within seven feet on No. 2 and rolled in the birdie putt to ignite his charge. Although he failed to capitalize on birdie chances from eight and 10 feet on the next two holes, he stayed patient and was rewarded with consecutive birdies on Nos. 5 and 6 after draining putts of 13 and 10 feet, respectively.
A costly three-putt from 35 feet on the seventh briefly slowed his momentum, but he responded by hitting his tee shot on the par-3 eighth to within 10 feet and draining the putt. He then safely two-putted for par on the ninth to complete an impressive 32 on the front side and a 67 overall.
While Hoey produced one of the better rounds of the day, he still has ground to make up against a stacked leaderboard.
Kohles stole the spotlight with a flawless 62, highlighted by an eagle on the closing 18th, to open a two-shot lead over Emiliano Grillo, Jackson Koivun and Gary Woodland, who matched 64s.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler also positioned himself firmly in contention after shooting a 65, joining a large group of players within striking distance following ideal scoring conditions.
With three rounds still to play, Hoey has given himself a realistic chance to challenge the leaders. If he can sharpen his putting after missing several makeable birdie opportunities in the opening round, the 30-year-old has the firepower to stay in the hunt and possibly contend for the breakthrough PGA Tour victory he has long been chasing.
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