Rico Hoey made a steady start at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson on Thursday, carding a bogey-free 4-under-par 67 at TPC Craig Ranch in Texas to stay within striking distance of the leaders.
The Fil-American leaned on a sharp short game throughout the round, going a perfect 5-of-5 in scrambling to rank first in the category after the opening day.
Hoey picked up birdies on three of the course’s par-5 holes and kept mistakes off his card in an impressive all-around performance.
He trails early leader Taylor Moore by five shots after the American fired a career-best 9-under 62. Brooks Koepka and Jesper Svensson sit one shot behind Moore after matching 63s.
Moore delivered the round of his PGA TOUR career Thursday, firing a brilliant 9-under 62 to grab the early lead and put himself in position for a breakthrough week in his home state of Texas.
He capped his bogey-free round with a clutch 14-foot birdie putt from the fringe on the par-5 ninth, moving one shot ahead of a crowded leaderboard at the revamped TPC Craig Ranch.
The 32-year-old Moore, whose lone TOUR victory came at the 2023 Valspar Championship, looked comfortable from the start and took advantage of ideal scoring conditions to post the lowest round of the day.
“It was solid all around,” Moore said after setting the pace with the best score of his PGA TOUR career.
A Texas native who now lives in Oklahoma, Moore edged Koepka, the five-time major champion who opened with an 8-under 63 while seeking his first PGA TOUR victory since returning full-time.
Svensson also threatened to match Moore’s score but missed a 9-foot birdie putt on the ninth that would have tied him for the lead.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who dominated this tournament from start to finish last year, opened with a 6-under 65 while playing alongside Koepka and Si Woo Kim.
Scheffler admitted he was playing catch-up most of the day.
“I felt like I was getting lapped out there for a little bit,” Scheffler said. “So I was fortunate to make a couple birdies late in the round and keep myself in the tournament.”
Koepka, meanwhile, showed flashes of the form that once made him the world’s top-ranked player. He eagled the par-5 12th and added four birdies over a five-hole stretch on his back nine.
“It was just a comfortable group,” Koepka said. “Everyone is just kind of feeding off each other, easy. Everyone’s having fun.”
Si Woo Kim joined a large group at 7-under 64 that also included Emiliano Grillo, Keith Mitchell, Stephan Jaeger, Michael Thorbjornsen, Tyler Duncan and Kensei Hirata.
But the spotlight belonged to Moore, whose hot start gave him an early edge in a tournament expected to produce plenty of low scores again this week.
