RICO HOEY failed to make headway on moving day, submitting one-under 71 to find himself eight down in the Corales Puntacana Championship on Saturday in the Dominican Republic.
After a 68-68 opening, the Filipino PGA Tour campaigner turned in a two-birdie, one-bogey round at the Corales course of Puntacana Resort en route to a 54-hole aggregate of nine-under 207.
With his third-round card, which also featured several scrambling pars, the ICTSI-backed golfer climbed two spots to a share of 15th entering the Easter Sunday final push.
However, Mr. Hoey remained eight strokes off Joel Dahmen, who despite slowing down with a 71 after sizzling bogey-free performances of 62 and 66, stayed at the summit at 17-under 199.
Mr. Dahmen, who salvaged a one-under for the day with birdies on Nos. 12 and 13, grabbed a three-shot lead against fellow Americans Chan Kim (69) and Michael Thorbjornsen (70) and South African Garrick Higgo (70), who are tied at 202.
One shot back at 203 are Vince Whaley of the US (66), Jeremy Paul of Germany (67), and Ben Martin of the US (67). — Olmin Leyba
