Michael Hoey
Encyclopedia
Michael George Hoey is a Northern Irish
professional golf
er.
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 U.S. Masters in 2002, where he missed the cut by a single stroke. He turned professional later that year.
Until 2009, Hoey had struggled to secure his place on the main European Tour
and had mostly competed 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. 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.
Hoey represented Ireland, alongside Gareth Maybin
at the 2007 Omega Mission Hills World Cup
where they finished in 24th position.
^ The 2011 Madeira Islands Open was dual ranked with the European and Challenge Tours.
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
Professional
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
professional golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er.
Hoey was born in Ballymoney
Ballymoney
Ballymoney is a small town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 9,021 people in the 2001 Census. It is currently served by Ballymoney Borough Council....
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
Walker Cup
The Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested biennially in odd numbered years between teams comprising the leading amateur golfers of the United States and Great Britain and Ireland...
team. As British Amateur Champion, he was invited to play in the U.S. Masters in 2002, where he missed the cut by a single stroke. He turned professional later that year.
Until 2009, Hoey had struggled to secure his place on the main European Tour
PGA European Tour
The PGA European Tour is an organization which operates the three leading men's professional golf tours in Europe: the elite European Tour, the European Seniors Tour and the developmental Challenge Tour. Its headquarters are at Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England...
and had mostly competed the second tier Challenge Tour
Challenge Tour
The Challenge Tour is the second tier men's professional golf tour in Europe. It is operated by the PGA European Tour and as with on the main European Tour and the European Seniors Tour, some of the events are played outside of Europe...
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
Qualifying school
In professional golf the term qualifying school is used for the annual qualifying tournaments for leading golf tours such as the U.S. based PGA and LPGA Tours and the European Tour. A fixed number of players in the event win membership of the tour for the following season, otherwise known as a...
.
Early in 2009, Hoey finished runner-up to Retief Goosen
Retief Goosen
Retief Goosen is a South African professional golfer who has been in the top ten in the Official World Golf Rankings for over 250 weeks between 2001 and 2007. His main achievements have been two U.S...
in the Africa Open
Africa Open
The Africa Open is a golf tournament on the Sunshine Tour that was first contested in February 2008, over the Gary Player designed championship course at the Fish River Sun Country Club, near Port Alfred, Eastern Cape, South Africa....
on the Sunshine Tour
Sunshine Tour
The Sunshine Tour is a men's professional golf tour based in Southern Africa. For much of its history it was known either as the South African Tour or the FNB Tour, but it rebranded itself in an attempt to broaden its appeal...
. Then in April, he claimed his first European Tour title, at the Estoril Open de Portugal where he defeated Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño
Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño
Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño is a Spanish professional golfer.Fernández-Castaño was born in Madrid. He turned professional in 2004 and came eighth at that year's European Tour Qualifying School....
on the third hole of a sudden death playoff. 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.
Hoey represented Ireland, alongside Gareth Maybin
Gareth Maybin
Gareth Maybin is a Northern Irish professional golfer.Born in Belfast, Maybin turned professional in 2005 after completing a scholarship at the University of South Alabama. He remained in the United States and competed on the NGA Hooters Tour, where he finished fourth on the money list in his...
at the 2007 Omega Mission Hills World Cup
2007 OMEGA Mission Hills World Cup
The 2007 Omega Mission Hills World Cup took place from November 22 to November 25 at Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, China. It was the 53rd World Cup. 28 countries competed and each country sent two players. The team purse is $5,000,000 with $1,600,000 going to the winner. The individual purse...
where they finished in 24th position.
European Tour wins (3)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 Apr 2009 2009 European Tour The 2009 European Tour was the 38th series of golf tournaments since the European Tour officially began in 1972. There were major changes for the 2009 season as the tour entered a partnership agreement with Dubai based Leisurecorp... |
Estoril Open de Portugal | Playoff |  Gonzalo Fernández-CastañoGonzalo Fernández-Castaño Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño is a Spanish professional golfer.Fernández-Castaño was born in Madrid. He turned professional in 2004 and came eighth at that year's European Tour Qualifying School.... |
|
| 2 | 22 May 2011 2011 European Tour The 2011 European Tour will be the third edition of the Race to Dubai and the 40th season of golf tournaments since the European Tour officially began in 1972.-Schedule:... |
Madeira Islands Open^ | 2 strokes |  Chris GaneChris Gane Christopher Gane is an English professional golfer.Gane has mainly competed on the second tier Challenge Tour and has two wins on that tour, both in 2001. In 2009 he finished 13th in the Challenge Tour rankings to guarantee himself full European Tour status for 2010. He is one of the few... , Jamie ElsonJamie Elson Jamie Elson is an English professional golfer.Elson was born in Leamington Spa, England. He attended Augusta State University in the U.S. and turned professional in 2003.... |
|
| 3 | 2 Oct 2011 | Alfred Dunhill Links Championship | 2 strokes |  Rory McIlroyRory McIlroy Rory McIlroy is a Northern Irish professional golfer from Holywood in County Down. He has represented Europe, Great Britain & Ireland, and Ireland as both an amateur and a professional. He had a successful amateur career, topping the World Amateur Golf Ranking for one week as a 17-year-old in 2007... |
Challenge Tour wins (4)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 Sep 2005 2005 Challenge Tour The 2005 Challenge Tour was a series of golf tournaments known as the Challenge Tour, the official development tour run by the PGA European Tour... |
BA-CA Golf Open | 1 stroke |  Steven JeppesenSteven Jeppesen Steven Jeppesen is a Danish-born Swedish professional golfer.-Career:Jeppesen turned professional in 2003 at the age of nineteen, and immediately qualified for the European Tour for the 2004 season via qualifying school... |
|
| 2 | 22 Apr 2007 2007 Challenge Tour The 2007 Challenge Tour was a series of golf tournaments known as the Challenge Tour, the official development tour run by the PGA European Tour... |
Tessali-Metaponto Open di Puglia e Basilicata | Playoff |  Liam Bond |
|
| 3 | 4 May 2008 2008 Challenge Tour The 2008 Challenge Tour was a series of golf tournaments known as the Challenge Tour, the official development tour run by the PGA European Tour... |
Banque Populaire Moroccan Classic | 1 stroke |  Greig Hutcheon,  Julien QuesneJulien Quesne Julien Quesne is a French professional golfer.Quesne was born in Le Mans. He turned professional in 2003 and joined the Alps Tour. He gained a place on the second tier Challenge Tour for 2005 by reaching the final stage of the European Tour Qualifying School at the end of 2004... |
|
| 4 | 22 May 2011 2011 Challenge Tour The 2011 Challenge Tour was a series of professional golf tournaments collectively known as the Challenge Tour.The Challenge Tour is Europe's official developmental tour and is organised by the PGA European Tour... |
Madeira Islands Open^ | 2 strokes | Chris Gane Chris Gane Christopher Gane is an English professional golfer.Gane has mainly competed on the second tier Challenge Tour and has two wins on that tour, both in 2001. In 2009 he finished 13th in the Challenge Tour rankings to guarantee himself full European Tour status for 2010. He is one of the few... , Jamie ElsonJamie Elson Jamie Elson is an English professional golfer.Elson was born in Leamington Spa, England. He attended Augusta State University in the U.S. and turned professional in 2003.... |
^ The 2011 Madeira Islands Open was dual ranked with the European and Challenge Tours.
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 2001 | 2002 |
|---|---|---|
| The Masters The Masters Tournament The Masters Tournament, also known as The Masters , is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, it is the first of the majors to be played each year... |
DNP | CUT |
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico... |
CUT | DNP |
| PGA Championship PGA Championship The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship... |
DNP | DNP |
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
Team appearances
Amateur- Walker CupWalker CupThe Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested biennially in odd numbered years between teams comprising the leading amateur golfers of the United States and Great Britain and Ireland...
(representing Great Britain & Ireland): 20012001 Walker CupThe 2001 Walker Cup, the 38th Walker Cup Match, was played on August 11 and 12, 2001, at Ocean Forest Golf Club in Sea Island, Georgia. The event was won by Great Britain and Ireland 15 to 9, marking the first time that Great Britain & Ireland retained the Cup .-Format:The format for play on...
(winners)
Professional
- World Cup (representing Ireland): 20072007 OMEGA Mission Hills World CupThe 2007 Omega Mission Hills World Cup took place from November 22 to November 25 at Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, China. It was the 53rd World Cup. 28 countries competed and each country sent two players. The team purse is $5,000,000 with $1,600,000 going to the winner. The individual purse...
See also
- 2008 European Tour Qualifying School graduates2008 European Tour Qualifying School GraduatesThis is a list of the 32 players who earned their 2009 European Tour card through Q School in 2008.*Players in yellow were 2009 European Tour rookies.-2009 Results:T = Tied...
- List of golfers with most Challenge Tour wins