Hoey slips with 71 but remains hopeful for strong finish

Rico Hoey of the Philippines hits a tee shot on the second hole during the third round of the PGA Championship at the Aronimink Golf Club on May 16, 2026 in Newtown, Pennsylvania.

Michael Reaves / Getty Images / AFP

MANILA, Philippines — Rico Hoey stumbled on moving day but managed to stay in contention after surviving a roller-coaster third round at the PGA Championship at the Aronimink Golf Club on Saturday (Sunday Manila time).

The Filipino-American shotmaker carded a one-over 71, slipping from a tie for 22nd to joint 44th with a 54-hole total of 211, now seven strokes behind new leader Alex Smalley, who moved to the brink of a breakthrough major victory with a 68 for a 204 aggregate.

After grinding out a pair of even-par 70s in the opening two rounds of the season’s second major championship, Hoey appeared poised to make a strong weekend charge. Instead, he battled inconsistency throughout the day, mixing five birdies with six bogeys in a round highlighted by missed opportunities and costly putting lapses.

Hoey, whose campaign is supported by ICTSI, opened steadily with three straight pars but missed a good birdie chance from 16 feet on No. 2. Trouble came at the par-4 fourth, where he bogeyed after missing the green. He settled down with pars on the next two holes before draining an 11-foot birdie putt on No. 7.

The momentum, however, proved short-lived as he bogeyed the eighth before birdieing the par-5 ninth to make the turn at even-par 35.

The back nine turned into a grind. Hoey missed a six-foot par save on No. 10, then dropped another shot on the 12th after failing to convert from eight feet. He responded with a birdie on the drivable par-4 13th, two-putting from 53 feet after reaching the right side of the green off the tee.

Another missed green led to a bogey on No. 15, but Hoey refused to fold, birdieing Nos. 16 and 17 to briefly regain momentum. Any hopes of a strong finish faded at the last hole, however, as he bogeyed the par-4 18th on another missed green, signing for his first over-par round of the week.

Despite the setback, Hoey remains within reach of a respectable finish entering Sunday’s final round, where a strong closing performance could still deliver his best showing in a major championship.

Meanwhile, Smalley will head into the final 18 holes holding a slim two-shot lead in the record $20.5-million championship, with several of the world’s top players in hot pursuit.

Jon Rahm fired a 67 to join Matti Schmid and Nick Taylor at 206. Also tied for second are Ludvig Åberg and Aaron Rai, who carded rounds of 67 and 68, respectively.

Two-time Masters champion Rory McIlroy also charged into contention with a sizzling 66 for a 207 total, just three strokes off the lead and firmly in the hunt for another major title.

Joining McIlroy at seventh are Xander Schauffele, Patrick Reed and Maverick McNealy, who returned rounds of 66, 67 and 71, respectively.