Hoey hobbles with 72; Taylor triumphs in sudden death

MANILA, Philippines — Rico Hoey faltered when it mattered most, closing with his worst round of the tournament — a two-over 72 — to finish in a disappointing tie for 59th place at the Sony Open won by Canadian Nick Taylor in a dramatic sudden-death playoff on Sunday (Monday Manila time).

Hoey struggled to recover from an early stumble at the Wai?alae Country Club in Hawaii, recording three bogeys in his first seven holes. While he managed two birdies against a bogey on the back nine, his 37-35 gave him a four-day total of 275 at the par-70 layout.

It was an underwhelming end for the Filipino-American golfer, who had shown promise earlier in the tournament. A blistering second-round 64 had raised hopes for a strong finish, but a third-round 70 and Sunday’s struggles dashed his chances.

The final round began ominously for the 29-year-old, with a bogey on the first hole foreshadowing more challenges. After two pars, Hoey bogeyed Nos. 4 and 7, recovered a stroke with a birdie on the ninth but gave it back on the 15th.

However, he showed his mastery of the closing par-5 18th, where he sank a second consecutive birdie, adding to an eagle he had achieved on the same hole on Friday.

While Hoey faded, Taylor delivered a masterclass under pressure. Tied with Colombia's Nico Echavarria at 16-under 264 after both carded final-round 65s, Taylor forced a playoff with an eagle on the 18th hole.

In the sudden-death, both Taylor and Echavarria birdied the first playoff hole, but Taylor’s dominance on the par-5 closing hole proved decisive. On their third return to the 18th, Taylor sealed victory with another birdie, clinching the championship.

Third-round leader JJ Spaun narrowly missed forcing a three-way playoff after settling for par on the 18th. He carded a 68 for a 265 total, tying for third with Germany's Stephan Jaeger, who posted a 67.