Pro’s late-season wardrobe change helps him keep PGA Tour card
After a difficult season on the PGA Tour, Rico Hoey needs to make changes if he wants to stay on the top tour in 2026.
As the PGA Tour’s Sean Martin points out, when it comes to hitting shots, Hoy lives in the same neighborhood as the sport’s elite. He ranks first in total drives gained, first in greens gained in regulation, second in strokes gained off the tee, third in strokes gained tee-to-green — behind only Scotty Scheffler and Collin Morikawa — and 16th in goals scored. question? He ranks dead last in putting, losing more than a stroke per round this season. Putting issues left Hoy 106th in the FedEx Cup standings, meaning he needs a successful fall season to maintain his Tour status.
After losing 10 1/2 strokes through four rounds at the Wyndham Championship, Hoy, who said he has always been an “erratic” putter, opted to make a big change. Hoy began working with his putting coach Marcus Porter and caddy Brian Martin to find a solution. They ultimately decided Hoy should try broomstick putting to see if it could cure his woes on the greens and help him stay on the PGA Tour.
“We asked Titleist and all the other companies to send the broom, and I got to the house and it was there, so I thought, I don’t think it’s that bad, but I tried it during that month’s break,” Hoy said Sunday at the Utah Bank Championship. “I ended up breaking two course records in the first two weeks. I thought, OK, I guess this is it.”
Rico Hoey birdies 12th hole at Bank of Utah Championship
Hoy entered the FedEx Fall Opening Procore Championship as a long putter and had positive hitting numbers on the greens in the first two rounds, but fell over the weekend. He ranks 47th in strokes gained this week (-0.222). While still in the negative, it was a huge improvement compared to what Hoy produced during the regular season. He tied for ninth in Napa but missed the cut after missing three shots on the second-round green at Sanderson Farms.
The broom change doesn’t make Hoy a great putter, but it overcomes a glaring weakness and makes it less of an obstacle to success.
In Japan, Hoy finished three strokes better on putts in the final round of the Baycurrent Classic, finishing tied for fourth. He then posted two strokes in the final three rounds of the Bank of Utah Championship, including a 2.359 in the third round, finishing runner-up to sponsor invitee Michael Brennan.
“I didn’t expect to come back so soon, especially now with second place,” Hoy said Sunday in Utah. “But, no, it’s been a tough season for me with my putting. I’ve always been a good golf ball hitter and I feel like I hit the ball great, but I’ve always been too inconsistent with my putting. This year, I just didn’t make enough putts.
“It’s awesome. It’s good for me. Keep working hard. There are some things I need to keep working on, but, yeah, it’s awesome.”
The T9-Cut-T4-2 performance elevated Hoey to No. 61 in the FedExCup Fall Rankings, meaning he has almost certainly qualified for 2026 and is now on the verge of advancing to next season’s first two signature events, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and Genesis Invitational, via the AON Next 10.
In four games, everything has changed for Rico Hoy. Two months ago, he had one of the worst putting scores on tour and was in danger of being disqualified. One putter change later, the 30-year-old has a clear vision of his professional future and hopes to use it as a starting point for more than just a brief, career-extending sound.
“I just want to keep getting better and give myself a chance to win like I did this week, so if it happens and I play well and get to the signature event, that would be great,” Hoy said. “If not, I just keep my head down and keep working hard.”
