Rico Hoi delivered another big piece of good news for Philippine golf as he finished alone in second place at the $6 million Bank of Utah Championship on the PGA Tour on Sunday.
Continuing his strong onslaught in the second half of the season, the Manila-born professional shot 18-under 266 to finish runner-up to American Michael Brennan, who followed his lead with 262.
It was the third top 10 of the month and fourth overall in 2025 for Mr. Hoey, who nearly secured his playing status for next season with his solid performance at the Black Desert Golf Course in Ivins.
From No. 91 in FedExCup fall standings, 30-year-old Fil-Am moves up to 61stscheduled tribe To move well inside the safe zone of the 100-man cutline.
Mr. Hoey banked $654,000 (about P38.44 million) as he completed his best finish ever on the PGA Tour.
The 30-year-old Parbuster had earlier come close to a maiden victory at the 2024 ISCO Championships in Kentucky, where he made it into a five-man playoff for the title, but ultimately finished joint second.
In Utah, Mr. Hoey entered the title race, but his final four-under 67 was not enough to overtake Mr. Brennan, who shot 66 to keep his pursuers at bay.
The Pinoy ace managed to reduce the American's lead to three with a birdie on number 10. But Mr. Brennan remained steady in the area, collecting two more birdies to make up for a bogey at No. 18.th and secured his first Tour title by four strokes.
Mr Brennan became the first sponsor exemption to win since Nick Dunlop took The American Express in the amateur in January 2024. , Olmin Leyba
