Hoey saves 69 after uneven start as Taylor, Roy pull ahead
MANILA, Philippines — Rico Hoey flashed both promise and frustration in an up-and-down opening round at the Sony Open, grinding out an eagle-spiked 69 but finding himself seven shots behind joint leaders Nick Taylor and Kevin Roy on Thursday (Friday Manila time) at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Seeking a stronger start after a solid but unspectacular 2025 campaign — one that featured 12 Top-25 finishes and 22 made cuts in 31 starts — the ICTSI-backed Filipino-American showed early signs of rust before briefly igniting with a momentum-shifting eagle at the par-5 ninth.
Yet consistency proved elusive, as missed opportunities and a costly bogey ultimately kept him from climbing higher on the leaderboard in the $9.1-million PGA Tour season opener.
Hoey opened his round steadily with pars on the first two holes but stumbled on the par-4 third, where a three-putt bogey stalled his rhythm. He bounced back with a birdie on No. 5, rolling in an 11-footer, only to give the shot right back on the sixth after finding a greenside bunker and failing to save par. At that point, his front nine reflected the uneven nature of his early play — solid ball-striking punctuated by untimely miscues.
The turning point came at the ninth, where Hoey reached the green in two and calmly converted a six-foot eagle putt, briefly injecting momentum into his round and turning a grinding outward nine into a respectable 34.
However, the spark proved difficult to sustain on the back nine as Hoey settled for pars on his first four holes despite multiple birdie looks from inside 18 feet. A missed green on the par-4 13th led to another bogey when he failed to get up-and-down from nine feet, and further birdie chances on Nos. 14 and 15 — inside 16 feet — slid past the hole.
Still, Hoey showed resilience late. On the par-5 18th. he finally capitalized, draining a 12-foot birdie putt to close with a 35 on the inward half and salvage a 69, placing him in a share of 59th in the 120-man field.
While Hoey battled inconsistency, the leaders wasted no time asserting themselves. Defending champion Taylor sent an early message in his bid for back-to-back titles, firing a flawless eight-under-par 62 highlighted by three consecutive birdies starting at No. 15.
American Roy matched the Canadian’s pace with a solid 30-32 card, as the pair seized a one-stroke lead over John VanDerLaan and SH Kim, who both posted 63s.
Alex Smalley, John Parry and Adrien Dumont de Chassart lurked close behind at six-under 64, setting the stage for a tightly packed chase group heading into the second round.
For Hoey, the opening day offered a familiar mix of encouragement and frustration. The eagle and late birdie underscored his scoring potential on a course that rewards precision and patience, but converting more chances will be critical if he hopes to make a weekend push and contend in the early stages of the PGA Tour season.
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