Hoey closes strong with late birdies

Rico Hoey wrapped up his round on a high note, birdieing his last two holes to card a three-under-par 69 in the opening round of the World Wide Technology Championship at El Cardonal at Diamante in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on Thursday.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Filipino-American, who had to recover from two bogeys and a double bogey earlier in the day. But true to form, he stayed composed and clawed his way back into the mix, finishing the day tied for 44th — eight shots off the blazing pace set by Nick Dunlap and Sami Välimäki, who each fired an incredible 11-under 61.

El Cardonal, designed by Tiger Woods, offered a calm, windless day — perfect for low scoring. Dunlap and Välimäki took full advantage, tying the course record with bogey-free rounds that turned the leaderboard into a birdie fest.

For Välimäki, currently No. 103 in the FedExCup standings, the performance was a timely confidence boost. “It’s not the best pressure, but it’s how it is,” he said. “At least I made my card back in Europe, so that gives me a little extra freedom. Of course, you want to play here — just have to play good these last three.”

Dunlap, meanwhile, capped off his round with a dramatic chip-in eagle on the par-5 18th. “Golf’s been very hard recently, and today was the opposite,” he said. “I hit every fairway, gave myself tons of chances, and rolled it really nice.”

As for Hoey, the road ahead remains promising. With Tiger’s strategic design testing precision and patience, he’ll need more of that late-round grit to climb the board — but if Thursday’s finish was any hint, he’s steering in the right direction.