Hoey moves to joint 9th after 67

MANILA, Philippines — Rico Hoey slowed down with a 67 after a stellar, eagle-spiked 64 midway through, moving to a joint ninth position in the John Deere Classic, now led by a hot-charging David Thompson at the TPC Deere Run in Illinois on Saturday (Sunday Manila time).

Riding the momentum of a stirring seven-under card on Friday, Hoey birdied three of the first six holes in the third round and gained two strokes in the last four holes to offset a lone mishap on No. 9, finishing with a 33-34 and a 54-hole total of 15-under 198 at the par-71 layout.

Although he stayed six strokes behind Thompson, the Filipino shotmaker remained confident of putting up a stronger finishing kick in the $8-million championship, which also offers a prized spot in The Open Championship.

Thompson dazzled with a flawless 62, firing five birdies on the front nine and adding four more on the back nine. He pulled ahead of the stellar field with a 192, two strokes clear of Eric Cole and Aaron Rai, who both scored 194s after rounds of 64 and 66, respectively.

Also in contention are Hayden Springer and C.T. Pan, who shot 66 and 68, respectively, for a joint fourth position at 196.

Focus will be on PGA Tour rookie Hoey, who aims to improve on his career-best tied-for-sixth finish in the Rocket Mortgage Classic last month after a disappointing run of five missed cuts. The 28-year-old University of Southern California product, a member of the Philippine team in the 2013 Putra Cup, signaled his rise to form with an opening 67, which he also highlighted with an eagle. However, it was the subsequent round where he shone brightest, hitting five birdies and an eagle on the par-4 14th.