Hoey rises with career-best 63, ties for lead at The American Express

MANILA, Philippines — Rico Hoey delivered a scintillating performance at the Nicklaus Tournament Course on Friday (Saturday Manila time), fashioning out a career-best nine-under-par 63 to grab a share of the lead halfway through The American Express tournament in California.

The Filipino-American surged into a tie with Charley Hoffman at 16-under-par 128, setting up an exciting weekend at this $8.8-million event.

Hoey’s round was a masterclass in resilience and precision. After negating a birdie on the first hole with a miscue on No. 3, he caught fire with four birdies to close his front nine in 32. His back nine was even more impressive as he reeled off a string of four birdies before adding another on the 16th to complete his 10-birdie round.

Counting his strong start of 65 at La Quinta, Hoey’s two-day total matched Hoffman’s, who also posted a 63 at Nicklaus. Hoffman’s round featured a dazzling stretch of four straight birdies beginning on the fifth hole coming home, securing his spot atop the leaderboard.

The pair wrested a one-shot advantage over Justin Lower, Mark Hubbard and Sepp Straka, all of whom are tied at 15-under with 129s. Lower cooled off slightly with a 66 at Nicklaus, while Hubbard and Straka rallied with matching 64s at the Pete Dye Stadium Course.

Filipino-Australian Jason Day remained in contention at 14-under despite slowing down with a 66 after a 64. He slipped from joint third to a share of sixth with J.J. Spaun, who also carded a 66 at Nicklaus, at 130.

Hoey, 29, is playing in his second full season on the PGA Tour and is currently the top-placed Asian player in the field.

Reflecting on his success, Hoey credited the familiar surroundings of La Quinta, which is only two hours from his hometown of Rancho Cucamonga. He noted the significance of competing in an area where he grew up playing junior tournaments, including the Coachella Valley Tour.

“I feel right at home here,” said Hoey. “The desert has been great to a lot of junior golfers, and it’s special to come back here as a professional. It brings back memories of my early days in golf.”

Hoey’s familiarity with the Nicklaus layout has been a key factor in his stellar play.

“I wish we were playing all four rounds on this course,” he said in jest. “I’ve played so many junior events here that it feels like home. The weather has been perfect, and conditions have made it a lot easier to score.”

After turning professional in 2017 following a standout collegiate career at the University of Southern California, where he earned three All-American honors, Hoey faced an uphill battle to secure his PGA Tout card. He finally achieved that milestone via the Korn Ferry Tour at the end of 2023.

Hoey endured a challenging rookie season in 2024, missing 10 cuts in his first 15 starts. However, he turned his game around in the latter half of the year, earning four top-10 finishes, including a runner-up result at the ISCO Championship. He finished 86th in the FedExCup standings, laying the groundwork for what could be a breakthrough season.

Rated as one of the best drivers on Tour, Hoey demonstrated his precision on Friday, hitting 16 of 18 greens and missing just two fairways.

“I’ve been keeping things simple and staying in the moment,” he explained. “It helps that I’ve been playing practice rounds with J.J. Spaun – he’s been in great form, and I’m just trying to follow his lead.”

With momentum on his side, Hoey now sets his sights on the challenging Pete Dye Stadium Course, where he hopes to maintain his charge and secure his first PGA Tour title.