Hoey salvages Top-20 finish with closing 68
MANILA, Philippines — Rico Hoey bounced back from a shaky start to deliver a second consecutive 68, securing a tied-for-19th finish at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson on Sunday (Monday Manila time) at the TPC Craig Ranch.
Meanwhile, Wyndham Clark staged a spectacular come-from-behind victory, firing an eagle-spiked, 11-under-par 60 to claim the title.
Clark saved his best for last, toppling three-day leader Si Woo Kim to secure a three-stroke victory with a staggering 30-under 254 total. Entering the final 54 holes two shots behind Kim, Clark birdied four of his first nine holes before exploding with a back-nine 28 — highlighted by an eagle-3 on the 12th — to clinch his fourth career PGA Tour title and his first in over two years.
Kim played admirably, carding a final-round 65, but he simply could not match Clark’s back-nine onslaught. The Korean finished alone in second at 257, while World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler settled for third at 259 after also posting a 65.
Hoey, who entered the day hard-pressed for a low round to fuel a Top-10 bid, stumbled early. He suffered a bogey on the par-3 fourth hole after failing to save par from 12 feet following a green-side bunker visit.
Opportunities eluded him early on; he was unable to set up close-range birdie chances on the first three holes or the par-5 fifth. The ICTSI-backed ace then missed a 21-foot birdie attempt on the sixth and a 22-footer on the seventh before finally breaking through by two-putting for birdie on the par-5 ninth.
His momentum was momentarily halted on the 10th due to a missed-green bogey, but Hoey quickly answered. He drilled a 15-foot birdie putt on the 11th, then utilized his power to pick up another two-putt birdie on the par-5 No. 12.
After missing a 22-foot birdie look on the 13th, Hoey dialed it in, sinking back-to-back birdies from inside 14 feet from No. 14. He closed with steady regulation pars on the final three holes, just missing a 12-foot birdie attempt on the 18th.
Combining his final-round performance with earlier rounds of 67, 66 and 68, Hoey finished at 15-under 269. It marks a highly creditable result for the University of Southern California product as he continues his pursuit of a breakthrough PGA Tour victory.
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