IRVING, Texas -- John Huh holed out from 162 yards with his approach shot at the par-4 14th for eagle during Saturday's third round of the HP Byron Nelson Championship.

It's the first eagle at that hole since 2006.

Huh is now 7 under for the tournament through 16 holes.

IRVING, Texas -- Following his second-round 64 on Friday at the HP Byron Nelson Championship, John Huh reflected on his play with Will Haskett from SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio. Huh is at 7 under through 36 holes.

By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A bunker lesson from K.J. Choi paid big dividends for John Huh on Friday.

Huh went 5-for-5 on sand saves on his way to a 69 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard, where he'll enter the weekend in contention.

"We worked out about four or five hours," Huh said of the lesson, which came during the week of the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. "He's the master of the bunker, so I took really good notes."

Huh added that he was basically trying to learn from Choi's touch in the sand.

He chose a good mentor -- Choi ranks second on the PGA TOUR in sand saves this season. Huh, meanwhile, entered the week 133rd.

Four birdies and just one bogey certainly helped Huh's cause. It's the first time he's been in contention this season and the lesson couldn't have come at a better time with Huh having missed four of his last five cuts.

By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM

ORLANDO, Fla. -- With four missed cuts in his last five starts prior to this week, John Huh needless to say didn't get off to the kind of start he was hoping for.

Last season's Rookie of the Year might be turning the corner, however. He opened with a 67 Thursday at Bay Hill and began the second round within two of the lead.

"I think it's a little advantage of having played here last year," Huh said. "Hopefully I can take advantage of that."

Huh also seems to be settling into his new equipment -- he switched to TaylorMade in the offseason.

"It was a little hard for me," Huh said of the change. "I changed pretty much every club in my bag except the utility club."

Huh had planned to visit Augusta National earlier this week in preparation for his first Masters but instead turned up at Bay Hill to work on his putting.

Among his equipment changes was a decision to go back to a center-shafted putter, which he used last year.

He didn't even need the putter on a couple of occasions Thursday, twice chipping in.

"My short game was pretty good," he said.

So is the rest of his game, thanks also in part to a pep talk he had with his father.

"He said to just go out and just have some fun," Huh said. "Play smart and play conservative."

Each week, PGATOUR.COM's Fantasy Golf columnist Rob Bolton offers his Power Rankings for the weekly TOUR event as well as his Sleeper picks. But what about the players who don't make the Power Rankings but who can't really be considered Sleepers?

Starting with this week's Sony Open in Hawaii, Bolton will make one "wildcard" selection from the large group of players who fall into that middle range but might rise up to claim the title. This week's pick is ...

JOHN HUH

Bolton's explanation: The 2012 Rookie of the Year flashed his mettle and aptitude for ball-striking at another windy seaside track -- El Camaleon -- en route to victory in a playoff at the Mayakoba Golf Classic last year. It became his calling card as he finished the year ranked 11th in fairways hit and 53rd in greens in regulation. Of course, his game extends beyond just keeping his ball in play. In his PGA TOUR debut at Waialae last year, he played the pair of par 5s in a bogey-free 8-under with an eagle and six birdies. He'll need to clean up elsewhere (16 bogeys) to improve on his solo 53rd from a year ago.

You can also check out Bolton's other predictions for the Sony Open:

Power Rankings for Sony Open in Hawaii

Sleepers for Sony Open in Hawaii

Check 'em out, then join the discussion below

To preview the 2013 PGA TOUR season, PGATOUR.COM is counting down the Top 100 Players to Watch in 2013. For an archive page with the top 100 players and for an explanation on how the list was compiled, click here .

MORE TOP 100: Back to No. 58 | Forward to No. 56 | Top 100 archive

2013 PREVIEW: John Huh made his way through three stages of q-school just to earn his PGA TOUR card, then claimed Rookie of the Year honors after winning the Mayakoba Golf Classic. Now that he knows he's in it for the long haul, Huh can work on his consistency -- all four of his top-10s came in his first 15 starts.

2012 DEFINING MOMENT: Huh, who had never played in a Web.com Tour or PGA TOUR event prior to last year, proved to be a quick study. He picked up his first top-10 in his second start and won his fifth -- erasing a seven-shot deficit in the final round by shooting a bogey-free 63 and beating Robert Allenby in an eight-hole playoff. – Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM

ALBERS’ QUICK TAKE: Maybe the best nickname on TOUR: Johnny Question Mark. For a rookie to win a tournament and make the TOUR Championship shows a lot of ability. Last year at this time, few had even heard of John Huh, now he’s an established player on TOUR. -- Fred Albers, SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio

BOLTON’S FANTASY OUTLOOK: What a year by the previously unknown now-22-year-old. What struck me early on and stayed with me during his 22-for-28 rookie year is that he fully accepts what he is as a golfer, and he plays to his strengths. He keeps it simple and he seemed utterly unfazed by his sudden rise. Love the conviction. Having advanced to the TOUR Championship, he'll be able to set a schedule that will include the first three majors and the Cadillac Championship. Certainly, we're still in a position in which we need to remain patient, but there are zero signs that he won't carry his mojo into 2013. -- Rob Bolton, PGATOUR.COM Fantasy expert

SOCIAL MEDIA: Find him on Twitter

2012 QUICK REVIEW

Regular Season ranking 25th

Final Playoffs ranking 29th

NOW IT’S YOUR TURN

What is you prediction for John Huh in 2013? Fill out the form below and let us know.

Condon/PGA TOUR

Rory McIlroy won four times, including his second major, in 2012.

By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Four wins, including his second major, on the PGA TOUR. The money titles on both sides of the Atlantic. The Byron Nelson Award and Vardon Trophy for low scoring average.

So what's not to like when newly-named PGA TOUR Player of the Year Rory McIlroy looks back on 2012? Well, he does have one regret, and it speaks volumes about the young Northern Irishman.  

"We are judged on wins ultimately, and this year has been a great year with four wins on the PGA TOUR and winning in Dubai a couple weeks ago," McIlroy said in a teleconference on Tuesday. "But next thing, I won my first major in '11, I backed it up this season with another one, and I'd love to go into '13 with that same goal of obviously trying to win another major.

"But I think really what was disappointing this year for me, if there was a disappointment, that I was only in contention once in the majors, and luckily I was able to win it. But next year I'd love to be in contention in all four of them and have a chance to win all -- not saying I'm going to win all of them, but at least give myself a chance."

McIlroy's victory at the PGA Championship, which came by a whopping eight strokes courtesy of a flawless 66 on Sunday, sparked a surge that saw him win consecutive tournaments during the FedExCup Playoffs.

He ended up second in the FedExCup to Brandt Snedeker, who won the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola, and then turned his attention back to the European Tour where McIlroy won the season-ending Dubai World Championship.

McIlroy was named Player of the Year in a vote of his peers. The ballot, as PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem noted, was a "stout" one, featuring Snedeker; Masters champion Bubba Watson, three-time winner Tiger Woods and Jason Dufner, who broke through with two victories.

"It's always nice to get recognition from your peers, the guys that you're trying to beat week in, week out, and obviously there's been a lot of guys on the PGA TOUR that have had great years this year," McIlroy said. "... So to beat those guys is ... a very nice feeling. It's very rewarding, and I guess it's just a great way to end what has been a great year and my best season so far."

McIlroy said he drew confidence from a tie for fifth at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational the week before he headed to Kiawah Island, S.C., for the season’s final major.  In his previous five starts, the 23-year-old had missed three cuts, including in his title defense at the U.S. Open and tied for 60th at the Open Championship, while posting a single top-10 in Memphis.

"I think everyone knows that my game wasn't where I wanted it to be sort of through the start of the summer and leading up to the PGA," McIlroy said. "But I felt like the week before in Akron I had a good week. I finished fifth and actually got a bit of confidence from that. I felt like my game was coming back to where I wanted it to be.

"Of course every time I go into a major I have expectations, but maybe at the PGA my expectations were maybe slightly lower just because of the form that I was in, and I got myself into a great position going into the weekend, and ... I didn't want to sort of let this opportunity pass me because it was a great opportunity to win my second major, and obviously I was able to do it, and from that I gained a lot of confidence.”

McIlroy is the third European to be named Player of the Year, following Luke Donald in 2011 and Padraig Harrington in 2008. The  world No. 1 is also the youngest to earn the distinction since Tiger Woods did in 1997.

In addition to his many accolades earned for his work on the golf course, Finchem said McIlroy was equally accomplished outside the ropes. "He is at a very young age already making a very solid contribution to what is the most important asset of the PGA TOUR, and that is the image of its players, " the commissioner said.

Finchem also announced John Huh's selection as the PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year. Huh won the Mayakoba Golf Classic in just his fifth start on TOUR, beating veteran Robert Allenby in an eight-hole playoff.

Huh is the first player of Korean descent to be honored with the award and was the only rookie to reach the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola, finishing 29th in the FedExCup.

Fans can participate in a Facebook Chat with Huh at 3 p.m. ET, on the TOUR’s Facebook page ( www.facebook.com/pgatour).  You can leave a question for the Rookie of the Year by clicking HERE.