Hoey fights back with 69, makes Players Championship cut

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.