RICO Hoey fell one stroke short of a Top 10 finish after shooting a 3-under-par 68 in the final round of the Rocket Classic on Sunday (US time) at the Detroit Golf Club.
The culprit was a three-putt bogey on the 140-yard par 3 15th where his tee shot landed above the hole about 40 feet away. He was then 4 under for the round. But he miscalculated his birdie attempt which left him 10 feet short and missed his putt for par.
Hoey walked away shaking his head, knowing he had blundered badly. He finished at 11 under for the tournament and tied for 15th place with four others.
READ Hoey within reach of Top 10 finish after 66 at Rocket Classic
Had he shot one stroke better, 12 under, that would have placed him tied for 8th spot, and a bigger paycheck. His effort, however, was good for $162,500.
Michael Thorbjornsen took the title after shooting a 7-under-par 63, becoming the eighth first-time winner on the PGA Tour this season. He won by two strokes after sinking a 26-foot birdie putt on the 18th.
“Perfect pace, perfect read,” he said.
The win earned the 24-year-old Thorbjornsen a spot in the FedEx Cup Playoffs, landing in 69th place. Only the top 70 advance to the postseason after next week’s Wyndham Championship.
Xander Schauffele shot a 65 and finished second after briefly leading the tournament. It was his best finish this season since finishing third at the Players Championship.
“I played really well and he just beat me straight up, so hats off to him,” Schauffele said.
Davis Riley (70) was another stroke behind in third, falling out of the lead with four bogeys.
Rasmus Hojgaard was alone in fourth after a 68, four shots back, while Hideke Matsuyama (64), Matt Wallace (67) and Kristoffer Venturra (68) were tied for fifth, one stroke farther.
Kuwaki wins Women’s British Open, Saso ties for 12th
Shijo Kuwaki made it a second straight Japanese winner of the British Women’s Open after beating Esther Henseleit in a two-hole playoff held at Royal Lytham & St Annes.
Both Kuwaki and Henseleit finished the final round Sunday (UK Time) at 1-under-par 70 and 5 under for the tournament, to forge the playoff.
Kuwaki survived the first playoff hole despite landing her drive on a deep bunker where she was able to advance the ball just several yards. But her third shot was majestic. It landed within six feet from the hole which she sank to save par.
Heinseleit missed her birdie putt that would have won her the championship and both headed to 18th again.
This time it was Heinseleit who was in trouble. Her drive settled near bushes and she advanced it to about 100 yards to the hole. Meanwhile, Kuwaki was in the fairway and easily made it the green.
Heinseleit’s par putt was off and Kuwaki completed a two-putt par to win the championship to follow in the footsteps of fellow Japanese Miyu Yamashita, who won this event last year.
The day may also belong to Yuka Saso who shot her best score of the tournament, a 3-under-par 68, that propelled her to a tie for 12th, her best finish of the season marred by a tsunami of bad scores and missed cuts.
This tournament could be a sign that the 25-year-old is on the verge of making a dramatic turnaround to her season.
Saso was even par for the tournament, just five strokes behind the leaders and pocketed $158,889, her biggest earning this year.
To illustrate just how big an improvement she’s made, Saso, whose only LPGA victories were two US Opens, made just three cuts in her last 11 tournaments.
She had six birdies against three bogeys in the final round and would have tied for sixth place had she made just one less bogey.
Still, this is likely a dramatic boost for Saso who continues to have a big following among local fans despite opting for Japanese citizenship after winning her first US Open title in 2021.
Nelly Korda, world No. 1, and No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul shared fourth place on 2-under-par.
Six players were tied for sixth place on 1-under-par including 2025 LET Order of Merit champion Shannon Tan and Charley Hull and Lottie Woad.
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