We’re really in need of a good guy out there on the PGA Tour.
We need an every-man golfer, a guy from humble roots, a man of the people, a family guy.
We need someone who is fun to pull for, a guy who makes people smile.
Good morning Tony Finau!
It is no Shanghai surprise that Tony is the 36-hole leader over in China at Sheshan International in this cross-over season WGC event.
Tony was one of the few bright spots on our Ryder Cup team last month, a captain’s pick, who performed quite well, unlike most of the U.S. team.
After his 67 on Friday, Finau blew past first round leader Patrick Despicable Me Reed. The golf ball-crushing Finau is at 11-under par, the only guy in this big-name field in double-digits under par through 36 windy holes.
What makes Finau different on the PGA Tour is, well, basically everything about him. He is the son of Kelepi and Ravena Finau. He’s a combination of Tongan and American Samoan. His father worked numerous jobs to support the family. Tony didn’t go to college, which makes him basically a unicorn on the PGA Tour. He turned pro at age 17 and played on a gaggle of mini-tours — the Gateway, the Hooters Tour and the National Pro Tour. And that’s a tough road to hoe. Pure blue collar stuff.
He’s 29 now. He and wife Alayna have three children and live in Lehi, Utah. Safe to say he’s the only tour player living in Lehi.
Finau is Mr. Consistency. Ten top 10s last season, including three of the four majors. He’s broken into the top 20 in the world rankings, currently checking in at 17th.
Which brings us back to China.
Finau’s flourishing while a lot of huge names are floundering. World’s No. 1 Brooks Koepka is two-over (72-74), No. 2 Dustin Johnson is three-over (74-73). Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm check in at an embarrassing five-over par. Bleah!
This could be Tony’s time and Tony’s year.
He’s cool and calm on the course. He was absolutely cruising in round two — five-under through 10 holes. On the par four 11th, his approach hit a greenside sprinkler cover and bounced mightily, all the way over the green and into a hazard behind the green. He’d make double-bogey but he never flinched. He’d birdie 14, 16 and 18 to close out the round in style.
“That was about as bad a break as I’ve ever had, to kick all the way over the green into the hazard,” Finau said after taking the halfway lead. “One thing I’ve learned in this game, you take the good with the bad and keep moving forward. I knew I was playing well still and still at the top of the leaderboard. Just keep plugging along and try to get that back and I was able to do that.”
Did we mention he’s got a great attitude?
He’s a gust of cool, fresh air in a sport where there are a lot of spoiled, haughty participants, to say the least.
Finau is the total exception out there.
This young man has done it all the old-fashioned way — hard work through the ranks.
This is a different stage and a different time and a difference place from Puerto Rico in 2016 where he won an “opposite-field” event.
Now he’s up there on the big stage. This WGC stuff is big-time.
The good news is, Tony belongs there but he’s still the humble guy who picked up that first win in Puerto Rico without much fanfare.
Easy to pull for this young man.
Very easy.
2 Comments
baxter cepeda
Tony is easy to pull for but like another guy not so easy to —rahm— Tony will be an endless cash machine for at least a decade, but will he win like the greats?
Both these bombers will in their sleep win their share, they are that gifted, but will they win like the greats? The legends?
Rahm won at Torrey, but aside from automatic top 10s what has the Spaniard done? Same issue with tony, not all wins are equal. Top 10s in majors are nice for the bank account, but not exactly how legends are made.
Just win baby.
Someone who has won big is Patrick Reed. And Reed is genuine. Honest. Real.
Tony is pulling off the early Jondanesque squeaky clean thing Spieth milked a while. But after a while, once we see the real temperment spill out, ‘squeaky clean’ players look more fake than anything. No such case with Reed, which is why I like him. Again we ask for honest.
So the 2 questions with Tony are can he actually win big ones and is he really this nice and calm? Is he real?
Only time will tell.
Tom Edrington
Patrick Reed is now America’s Bad Guy…..I believe Tony will be a long-term winner, Rahm too….keep in mind Rahm’s only 23 years old, Tony came up through the ranks, 29 but keeps improving and was MUCH better than Despicable Me at the Ryder Cup.