Hoey shines but chasers face a scorching pace
MANILA, Philippines — Filipino-American Rico Hoey put together a near-flawless two rounds of top-notch golf, yet found himself sitting at joint 23rd halfway through the CJ Cup Byron Nelson on Friday (Saturday Manila time).
The middle-of-the-pack standing is no fault of Hoey's. Instead, it is a testament to an elite field that absolutely dismantled the par-71 TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas. Perfect weather conditions and soft greens triggered two days of torrid scoring, headlined by South Korea’s Si Woo Kim, who narrowly missed entering golf’s historic sub-60 club.
After an adrenaline-fueled final approach shot flew over the 18th green, Kim suffered a closing bogey to settle for an 11-under-par 60.
That masterclass was more than enough for Kim to seize a commanding five-stroke lead at an astonishing 18-under 124. Meanwhile, first-round co-leader Kensei Hirata carded a 65 to drop into a five-way share of second at 13-under 129.
Flanking Hirata in the chasing pack is a heavy-hitting arsenal of top guns — Sungjae Im and Jackson Suber — who both carded mind-boggling 61s, alongside world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (63) and Wyndham Clark (63).
Amid the birdie barrage, the ICTSI-backed Hoey put on a display of highly disciplined, improved golf. Following a flawless, bogey-free 67 on Thursday, he returned Friday to fire six birdies against a bogey for a 66. His 9-under 133 aggregate is an excellent scorecard on any normal week, but at TPC Craig Ranch, it leaves him trailing nine strokes off the blistering pace set by Kim.
Hoey carried over the momentum from his opening-round back nine, where he gunned down three consecutive birdies. He kept the engine running by birdying No. 2 on Friday, but a brief lapse led to a costly three-putt bogey on the very next hole.
Stung by the early mistake, Hoey quickly regrouped like a seasoned tour veteran. He carded back-to-back birdies on Nos. 5 and 6, before gaining subsequent strokes on the ninth, 11th and 12th.
However, Hoey's pursuit stalled precisely where the leaders accelerated. He flubbed a 12-foot birdie look on the par-3 No. 15 and another 15-footer on the par-3 17th, settling for a pair of 33s.
While the third round looks promising for the big-hitting Fil-American, the reality of the leaderboard is stark. With Kim in cruise control and the world's best players poised for another relentless assault on the course, Hoey's current formula of steady, risk-averse golf won't move the needle.
To climb into true contention over the weekend, he must match his trademark power with a renewed sense of aggression on the greens. Facing a field that is converting birdies at a historic rate, he will need to find the missing competitive fire to turn close birdie chances into red numbers.
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