Rico Hoey closed strong with a birdie burst to finish with a two-under-par 68 in the opening round of the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas on Thursday.
Hoey stumbled early after a three-putt bogey on the par-5 first hole but quickly recovered with birdies on Nos. 2 and 5. He gave a shot back on the seventh to turn in even par, then picked up momentum on the back nine with a birdie on 11. After bogeys on 13 and 15 threatened to stall his round, Hoey responded with a fiery finish, birdying each of his last three holes.
He sits in a tie for 41st heading into the next round.
At the top of the leaderboard, Alex Smalley found himself right back in contention, just two weeks after finishing third-round leader at the PGA Championship before settling for second place.
Smalley, still searching for his first PGA TOUR victory, carded one of 12 bogey-free rounds of 5-under 65 on Thursday. He is part of a large group sitting just one shot behind six first-round leaders.
Lee Hodges, who played through a two-hour weather delay, closed with a bogey on the par-4 ninth but still finished with a 64 alongside reigning US Open champion J.J. Spaun, Ryan Gerard, Andrew Putnam, Tom Kim, and Matt McCarty. McCarty had briefly joined the leaders after birdying No. 9 from two groups ahead.
It marked the second-most players tied for the 18-hole lead at Colonial, behind only the eight-way tie in 2022.
Keegan Bradley, Brian Harman, Jordan Smith, Ricky Castillo, and Luke Clanton also shot 65s without a bogey, joining Smalley in the chasing pack. Another group at 5 under included 2019 US Open champion Gary Woodland and eight-time TOUR winner Billy Horschel.
There were 13 players at 4 under, leaving 31 players within two shots of the lead at Hogan’s Alley. Defending champion Ben Griffin opened with a 2-under 68.
“It’s one of my favorite courses we play all year because I don’t think there’s any one person that it caters to,” Hodges said. “You don’t have to bomb it. You’ve got to have your whole game here. I think it’s a great test of golf.”
Smalley’s recent form has kept him in the spotlight. His runner-up finish at the PGA Championship matched a career best after he briefly held a two-shot lead through 54 holes. The Duke alum also entered Colonial on a strong run, finishing 21st or better in six straight starts, including top performances in Texas earlier this season and a tie for second in the Zurich Classic team event.
He didn’t touch a club again until last Thursday, but quickly rediscovered his rhythm at Colonial. Four of his five birdies came from inside five feet, including a 134-yard approach to within a foot on the par-4 15th.
Colonial has played more scoreable than usual after recent rain softened the course and kept winds calm.
“We would throw grass up and it was kind of coming right back down to our feet,” Smalley said. “So definitely more of the scorable conditions I’ve seen around here, but still not an easy golf course. To have no bogeys on the scorecard anywhere is nice, especially here.”
Tom Kim, a South Korea native based in Dallas, carried strong local support in the absence of top-ranked Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth, both of whom skipped Colonial due to scheduling demands.