Hoey fights back with 69, makes Players Championship cut

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Rico Hoey of the Philippines hits his tee shot on the sixth hole during the final round of the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run on July 07, 2024 in Silvis, Illinois.

Stacy Revere / Getty Images / AFP

MANILA, Philippines -- Rico Hoey battled back with a 69 to secure a spot in the weekend rounds of The Players Championship, using a strong front-nine performance to recover from a shaky start at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida on Friday (Saturday Manila time).

Three birdies in the first nine holes fueled Hoey’s comeback from an opening-round 73. However, the Filipino shotmaker had to navigate a challenging back nine to preserve his momentum, mixing two birdies with two bogeys for a 33-36 finish.

With a two-under-par 142 total, the ICTSI-backed Hoey climbed from the brink of elimination to a tie for 49th – just one shot better than the cut line and nine strokes behind joint leaders Min Woo Lee of Korea and American Akshay Bhatia.

Both leaders assembled matching 11-under 133s to set the pace heading into the final two rounds of the $25-million championship, often regarded as the PGA Tour’s unofficial fifth major.

Lee and Bhatia followed up their opening-round 67s with contrasting six-under rounds. Lee nearly seized the outright lead but closed with a bogey on No. 9 after an otherwise stellar round featuring seven birdies, including four in the first five holes.

Meanwhile, Bhatia birdied the ninth to cap a bogey-free 32-34, sinking four birdies on the back nine before adding four more at the front, three of which came in a four-hole stretch from No. 2.

Trailing the leaders by just one shot was JJ Spaun, who carded a 68 following an opening 66 to post a 134 total. Rory McIlroy also made a move with a four-under round, joining Collin Morikawa and Alex Smalley in a three-way tie for fourth at 135. Morikawa fired a 65, while Smalley turned in a 67 to stay within striking distance.

Defending champion and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler recorded five birdies but faltered with three bogeys on his way to a 70. He moved up three spots to a tie for 16th but remained six strokes back at 139, needing a strong weekend push to contend for the title.

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