Amateur takes charge in American Express; Hoey falls short

MANILA, Philippines -- Amateur Nick Dunlap upstaged some of the world’s top players with a solid, eagle-spiked 12-under 60 as he seized a three-stroke lead over Sam Burns after three rounds of the American Express in La Quinta, California Saturday (Sunday Manila time).

The 20-year-old Huntsville, Alabama native, who shot 64 and 65 in the first two rounds, ripped the La Quinta layout with a fine display of shotmaking, iron play and putting. He rattled off four straight birdies from No. 11 then gunned down five more in an eight-hole stretch from No. 16 before gunning down an eagle on No. 6 to complete an explosive pair of 30s.

The remarkable feat makes Dunlap on the second amateur in PGA Tour history to card a 60, underscoring his talent and potential. His cumulative score of 27-under 189 aggregate firmly established him at the top of the leaderboard with a three-shot advantage over Burns, who posted a 65 at Pete Dye Stadium course for a 192.

Multi-titled Justin Thomas also put himself in strong contention at 193 after a 61, also at Stadium layout, spiked by a stirring six-birdie splurge in the closing holes.

Meanwhile, Rico Hoey, who stood at tied 26th after an early 70 with half of the field still to complete second round play Friday, missed the cut for the second straight week.

Impressive with a flawless 63 at Nicklaus tournament course Thursday, the Philippine-born shotmaker slowed down with a two-under card at Stadium course and found himself two strokes off the cutoff score (203) after the completion of play with an 11-under 205.

It was a sorry turn of events for the Univ. of Southern California standout, who had initially looked forward to securing a weekend spot in the $8.4 million championship. Unfortunately, he found himself bumped off, along with former national amateur champion Tom Kim (65-205), amidst a low-scoring spree at various courses by a slew of contenders.

Hoey also failed to make the weekend play in the Sony Open last week.