Hoey, Day shine in The American Express opener

MANILA, Philippines -- Rico Hoey, determined to recover from a disappointing finish at the Sony Open last week, delivered a scorching performance in the opening round of The American Express, carding a solid seven-under 65. His bogey-free effort placed him three strokes behind leader JT Poston at La Quinta, California, on Thursday (Friday Manila time).

The Filipino-American built momentum early with three birdies on the front nine, adding four more on the back for a flawless 33-32. His strong showing earned him a share of eighth place alongside nine others in one of the three courses hosting the event.

Meanwhile, Filipino-Australian Jason Day made an even more emphatic start, firing a 64 at La Quinta, highlighted by two eagles, to secure joint third.

The 2015 PGA Championship winner trailed Poston by just two strokes. The American dominated the Nicklaus layout with a 10-under 62 to take early control of the stellar field.

Justin Lower turned in an equally impressive 63, also at La Quinta, to claim solo second. The event also features rounds at the challenging Pete Dye layout.

Hoey, seeking his first PGA breakthrough, showed resilience after a faltering 59th-place finish at the Sony Open, where he started strong with an opening-round 64 but stumbled in subsequent rounds. This time, he showcased a solid performance, starting on the back nine. Hoey birdied the par-5 11th, followed by another birdie on No. 16, and closed his first nine with a flourish.

He carried his momentum to the front nine, birdying No. 1 for a back-to-back effort and adding three more birdies in his final five holes.

Day, on the other hand, overcame an early bogey on No. 2 and quickly rebounded with a brilliant birdie-birdie-eagle run starting on No. 4. His precision and composure remained intact as he birdied the 10th, eagled the par-5 13th and capped his round with birdies on Nos. 16 and 18.

However, the day belonged to Poston, who dazzled at the Nicklaus layout with a masterful display of shot-making. Despite a bogey on the first hole, Poston ignited his round with birdies on Nos. 2, 6 and 11 before closing with an eagle-birdie-birdie sequence.

His blistering 30 on the back nine propelled him to the top of the leaderboard.