Michael Hoey (golfer)
Michael George Hoey (born 13 February 1979) is a retired Northern Irish professional golfer who played on the European Tour and the Challenge Tour.
| Michael Hoey | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Michael George Hoey |
| Born | 13 February 1979 Ballymoney, Northern Ireland |
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) |
| Weight | 80 kg (176 lb; 12 st 8 lb) |
| Sporting nationality | Northern Ireland |
| Residence | Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Spouse | Bev Hoey (m. 2011) |
| Children | 1 |
| Career | |
| College | Clemson University |
| Turned professional | 2002 |
| Former tour(s) | European Tour Challenge Tour |
| Professional wins | 8 |
| Highest ranking | 74 (25 March 2012)[1] |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| European Tour | 5 |
| Challenge Tour | 4 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | CUT: 2002 |
| PGA Championship | DQ: 2012 |
| U.S. Open | DNP |
| The Open Championship | CUT: 2001, 2012 |
Amateur career
Hoey was born in Ballymoney but played much of his early golf at Shandon Park Golf Club in East Belfast. He won the British Amateur Championship in 2001 and was a member of the victorious 2001 Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup team. As British Amateur Champion, he was invited to play in the Masters Tournament in 2002, where he missed the cut by a single stroke. He turned professional later that year. He played his collegiate golf at Clemson University.
Professional career
Until 2009, Hoey had struggled to secure his place on the main European Tour and had mostly competed in the second tier Challenge Tour where he has three tournament victories, the 2005 BA-CA Golf Open, the 2007 Tessali-Metaponto Open di Puglia e Basilicata, and the 2008 Banque Populaire Moroccan Classic. He finished 8th on the end of season rankings in 2005, which gave him automatic promotion to the European Tour. Following a largely unsuccessful début season in 2006, he returned to the Challenge Tour the following year. He regained his playing privileges on the European Tour for the 2009 season at final qualifying school.
Early in 2009, Hoey finished runner-up to Retief Goosen in the Africa Open on the Sunshine Tour. Then in April, he claimed his first European Tour title, at the Estoril Open de Portugal where he defeated Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño on the third hole of a sudden death playoff.[2] The win also gave him a one-year exemption on the European Tour. He won twice in 2011, including his most prestigious title to date at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. He picked up his fourth victory on the European Tour in 2012 at the Trophée Hassan II.
In July 2013, Hoey won his fifth European Tour title at the M2M Russian Open, prevailing by four strokes from Alexandre Kaleka and Matthew Nixon. His victory was set up by a third round score of 65, which took him into the lead heading into the final round.
Hoey represented Ireland, alongside Gareth Maybin at the 2007 Omega Mission Hills World Cup where they finished in 24th position.
In February 2022, Hoey announced his retirement from professional golf, becoming a referee on the European Tour.[3]
Amateur wins
Professional wins (8)
European Tour wins (5)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 Apr 2009 | Estoril Open de Portugal | −7 (66-76-69-66=277) | Playoff | Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño |
| 2 | 22 May 2011 | Madeira Islands Open1 | −10 (72-68-67-71=278) | 2 strokes | Jamie Elson, Chris Gane |
| 3 | 2 Oct 2011 | Alfred Dunhill Links Championship | −22 (66-66-66-68=266) | 2 strokes | Rory McIlroy |
| 4 | 25 Mar 2012 | Trophée Hassan II | −17 (74-67-65-65=271) | 3 strokes | Damien McGrane |
| 5 | 28 Jul 2013 | M2M Russian Open | −16 (70-67-65-70=272) | 4 strokes | Alexandre Kaleka, Matthew Nixon |
1Dual-ranking event with the Challenge Tour
European Tour playoff record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2009 | Estoril Open de Portugal | Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño | Won with par on third extra hole |
Challenge Tour wins (4)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 Sep 2005 | BA-CA Golf Open | −19 (67-64-67-67=265) | 1 stroke | Steven Jeppesen |
| 2 | 22 Apr 2007 | Tessali-Metaponto Open di Puglia e Basilicata | −13 (66-67-68-71=272) | Playoff | Liam Bond |
| 3 | 4 May 2008 | Banque Populaire Moroccan Classic | −12 (67-70-71-68=276) | 1 stroke | Greig Hutcheon, Julien Quesne |
| 4 | 22 May 2011 | Madeira Islands Open1 | −10 (72-68-67-71=278) | 2 strokes | Jamie Elson, Chris Gane |
1Dual-ranking event with the European Tour
Challenge Tour playoff record (1–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2007 | Tessali-Metaponto Open di Puglia e Basilicata | Liam Bond | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 2021 | B-NL Challenge Trophy | Alfredo García-Heredia, Marcus Helligkilde, Haraldur Magnús | García-Heredia won with birdie on seventh extra hole Magnús eliminated by par on third hole Hoey eliminated by birdie on first hole |
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | ||||||||
| U.S. Open | |||||||||
| The Open Championship | CUT | ||||||||
| PGA Championship |
| Tournament | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | |||||
| U.S. Open | |||||
| The Open Championship | CUT | WD | |||
| PGA Championship | DQ |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
DQ = disqualified
WD = withdrew
"T" = tied
Results in World Golf Championships
| Tournament | 2011 | 2012 |
|---|---|---|
| Match Play | ||
| Championship | ||
| Invitational | T71 | |
| Champions | T62 |
"T" = Tied
Team appearances
Amateur
- European Youths' Team Championship (representing Ireland): 1998, 2000[4]
- European Amateur Team Championship (representing Ireland): 1999, 2001
- Palmer Cup (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1999
- Walker Cup (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 2001 (winners)
Professional
- World Cup (representing Ireland): 2007
- European Championships (representing Ireland): 2018
See also
References
- ^ "Week 12 2012 Ending 25 Mar 2012" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- ^ "Hoey clinches maiden Tour triumph". BBC Sport. 5 April 2009. Retrieved 5 April 2009.
- ^ "Michael Hoey retires from professional golf to become DP World Tour referee". RTE Sport. 23 February 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- ^ "EGA Events, Results, European Team Championships, European Youths' Team Championship". European Golf Association. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
External links
- Michael Hoey at the European Tour official site
- Michael Hoey at the Official World Golf Ranking official site