HOEY STALLS AFTER HOT START AS HUGHES PULLS AHEAD AT MYRTLE BEACH

MANILA, Philippines — Rico Hoey flashed brilliance early but couldn’t maintain momentum in the opening round of the ONEFlight Myrtle Beach Classic, finishing with a two-under-par 69 and settling into a tie for 39th place at the Dunes Golf and Beach Club in South Carolina on Thursday (Friday Manila time).

Looking to rebound from a tied 52nd finish at last week’s CJ Cup Byron Nelson, the Filipino teed off on the back nine and came out firing. Hoey birdied three of his first six holes, including a pinpoint 133-yard approach shot to seven feet on the dog-leg No. 11 and a chip-in from 50 feet on No. 14.

The ICTSI-backed power-hitter added a 16-foot birdie putt on the par-5 15th, positioning himself nicely to climb the leaderboard early.

However, the momentum began to slip with a three-putt bogey from 27 feet on No. 18, stalling his early charge. Despite dominating the par-5 No. 4 with a powerful tee-to-green sequence, he continued to struggle with the putter, most notably with another three-putt from 29 feet on No. 9 – his final hole of the day.

At the front nine, Hoey missed a short birdie try from seven feet on No. 1 but recovered to sink a 17-footer for birdie on No. 4. He then settled for a string of regulation pars before closing with the costly three-putt.

Meanwhile, Canadian Mackenzie Hughes stole the spotlight with a blistering finish, birdieing his last four holes to card a stunning eight-under 63 and seize the solo lead in the PGA Tour event.

Seamus Power, Will Chandler and Thorbjorn Olesen each posted 64s, while Andrew Putnam, Ryan Fox, Alejandro Tosti and Cristobal del Solar turned in matching 65s on a day where low scores were plentiful on the par-71 layout.

For Hoey, the challenge remains to convert his ball-striking prowess into consistent scoring, especially on the greens. With three more rounds to play, he will aim to clean up his putting woes and make a stronger push up the leaderboard.

2025-05-09T06:33:52Z