Kim sizzles with 64, gains lead share; Hoey fights back

Tom Kim of South Korea plays his shot from the 12th tee during the first round of the Charles Schwab Challenge 2026 at the Colonial Country Club on May 28, 2026 in Fort Worth, Texas.

Stacy Revere / Getty Images / AFP

MANILA, Philippines — Three-time PGA Tour winner Tom Kim snapped a string of underwhelming performances on Thursday (Friday Manila time), firing a sterling six-under 64 to join a tight six-way logjam atop the leaderboard after the opening round of the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

Kim kicked off his round on the back nine, igniting his charge with a three-birdie binge from No. 14. After closing his first nine with another birdie, he sustained his assault on the par-70 layout with a second three-birdie blitz from No. 1.

Despite a minor late-round stumble — trading bogeys and birdies from No. 5 through No. 7 — Kim turned in a 31-33 card to claim a share of the early lead alongside Ryan Gerard, Andrew Putnam, Filipino-American J.J. Spaun, Matt McCarty and Lee Hodges.

The elite field wasted no time going low in the $9.9-million championship, with 12 other players sitting just one stroke back after matching 65s, including Brian Harman, Alex Smalley and Billy Horschel.

Kim entered the week looking for answers after a tied-54th finish at last week's CJ Cup Byron Nelson, which followed a season-best joint sixth effort at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic. However, the former The Country Club Invitational champion, who honed his game and broke through on the Philippine Golf Tour at the 2018 Pueblo de Oro Championship, served notice that he is ready to contend.

Still, with 54 holes left to play and a torrid scoring pace established by the field, the tournament remains wide open.

Meanwhile, Rico Hoey missed out on the initial morning scoring spree but showed immense resilience late in his round. The ICTSI-backed Fil-Am ace birdied his final three holes to rescue a two-under 68, earning a share of 41st.

Coming off a solid 19th place finish at the CJ Cup where he posted a 15-under total, Hoey stumbled early with a bogey on the par-5 first hole, though he quickly recovered the stroke with a birdie on the second.

It proved to be a roller-coaster day for the former Philippine national team standout, who mixed two more birdies with three bogeys before finding his rhythm just in time to close with a 35-33 card.

With the frontrunners poised for another aggressive charge on Friday, Hoey will need an explosive second round to thrust himself into true weekend contention.