Hoey stumbles with 70, slips to joint 29th

MANILA, Philippines -- Rico Hoey faced a tougher challenge at the Wai?alae Country Club course on moving day, settling for an even-par 70 that dropped him to a tie for 29th at the Sony Open in Hawaii on Saturday (Sunday Manila time).

After a big Friday round where he fired six birdies and an eagle for a 64, earning him a share of 10th, Hoey managed only two birdies in the third round marred by a costly double bogey on the par-3 17th, resulting in a 35-35 for a three-round total of 203.

The slip cost him 19 spots on the leaderboard, leaving him six strokes behind leader JJ Spaun, who surged to the top with a fiery 65 and a 197 total.

Spaun grabbed a one-shot lead over Stephan Jaeger, Eric Cole and Patrick Fishburn, who are tied at 198 after posting rounds of 62, 67, and 68, respectively.

That set the stage for a dramatic final-round shootout, with Keegan Bradley and five others staying in the hunt at 199, while Gary Woodland led another group of five contenders at 200 after a 66.

Hoey entered Saturday looking to build on his strong second-round performance, highlighted by an eagle. However, missed birdie opportunities on the front nine and a stretch of 13 pars stalled his momentum.

After finally sinking a birdie on the 14th, he stumbled with a double bogey on the 17th before closing with a birdie on the par-5 18th, which he eagled in the previous round.

Despite the even-par performance, Hoey remained in the mix as he looks to rebound in the final round while Spaun and a slew of others geared up for a final round shootout.