Hoey rebounds with 70 as Zaragosa falls

MANILA, Philippines - Fil-Am Rico Hoey fired an eagle-spiked 70 to move from 32nd to joint 22nd as Rupert Zaragosa bombed out with an 80 in the third round of the Asian Amateur Championship still paced by 14-year-old Tianlang Guan of China in Thailand yesterday.

Hoey, one of the three Filipino winners in the recent Junior World in San Diego, broke a run of pars with an eagle-3 on No. 7 then hit a birdie on the ninth for a 33 at the Amata Spring Country Club. He went four-under with another birdie on the 11th, but like in the previous rounds, he wavered coming home with three bogeys against a birdie in the last six holes for a 37 and a 70.

His one-over 217 aggregate gave him a share of 22nd but too way off Guan, who struggled to salvage a 72 as he saw his overnight five-stroke lead reduced to two with a 14-under 202.

Australian Oliver Goss shot a 69 and moved within with a 204, setting the stage for a final round shootout for a berth in next year’s Masters   in Augusta. The two finishers will also gain spots in the International Final Qualifying for the British Open.

Thai Prin Sirisommai also had a 72 and dropped to third with a 207.

Zaragosa, who bounced back from a 74 with a 70 Friday, birdied the opening hole but fumbled with a double-bogey and two bogeys for a 39. He  birdied the first two holes at the back but dropped seven strokes in the next five holes, including a triple-bogey on the par-4 14th. He ended up with an 80 for joint 38th at 224.

Anton Arboleda, the top Filipino scorer in the first round with a 73, rebounced from a second round 75 with a 70 and improved to a share of 25th at 218.