Hoey’s five-birdie binge revives Rocket Classid bid

MANILA, Philippines -- Rico Hoey overcame what looked like a round headed for disaster with a stunning stretch of five consecutive birdies, rescuing a one-under 69 on Friday (Saturday Manila time) to secure a place in the weekend rounds of the Rocket Classic in Detroit.

The remarkable turnaround not only kept the Filipino-American’s campaign alive but also underscored the resilience and scoring ability that have made Hoey one of the PGA Tour's emerging talents. Although he slipped into a tie for 32nd at 135, five strokes behind the leaders, his explosive finish provided momentum that could prove invaluable heading into Moving Day, where another low round could quickly thrust him back into title contention.

After opening with a 66 that left him five shots behind first-round leader Peter Malnati, Hoey appeared poised to remain in the hunt before his round took an alarming turn on the back nine at the par-70 Detroit Golf Club.

His troubles began with a bogey on the par-3 11th after finding the greenside bunker off the tee. He recovered with a birdie from nine feet on No. 13, only to lose ground again with a bogey on the 17th after missing an 18-foot par save.

The biggest setback came at the closing hole of his opening nine. A series of errant shots led to a costly double bogey on No. 18, leaving Hoey with a three-over 38 on the back side and threatening to erase the gains from his solid opening round.

Instead of unraveling, Hoey responded with the kind of resilience that has become one of his trademarks.

He ignited a spectacular charge on the front nine, birdieing No. 2 from seven feet before converting another birdie opportunity from 11 feet at the next. He then took advantage of the par-5 fourth, setting up a two-putt birdie from 44 feet.

His putter caught fire from there.

Hoey drained a 20-foot birdie putt on the par-3 sixth before producing the highlight of his day on the seventh, where he buried a massive 61-foot birdie putt to complete an electrifying run of five straight birdies.

The streak ended with a routine two-putt par on the eighth, where a 20-foot birdie attempt slid past the hole. He closed with a bogey on the par-3 ninth after missing the green, but by then the damage from his earlier collapse had largely been repaired.

Hoey pooled a 135, safely making the cut by two shots while remaining well within striking distance entering the final 36 holes.

If his front-nine birdie binge is any indication, Hoey possesses the firepower to make a serious weekend charge. Detroit Golf Club has already yielded several ultra-low rounds this week, and another hot putting performance coupled with cleaner execution off the tee could quickly erase the deficit separating him from the leaders.

Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay and Patrick Fishburn shared the 36-hole lead at 14-under 130.

Young fired a blistering nine-under 61 highlighted by six consecutive birdies from No. 12, while Cantlay and Fishburn matched each other for the second straight day, following their opening 64s with identical 66s.

Malnati, meanwhile, cooled off after his dazzling 61 on Thursday, settling for a 71 that dropped him into fourth place at 132.