GOLF

Tony Finau Stumbles Throughout Opening Round At The Open

Jul 14, 2022, 9:41 AM | Updated: 9:41 am

Tony Finau of the United States tees off on the fourth hole during Day One of The 150th Open at St Andrews Old Course on July 14, 2022 in St Andrews, Scotland. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

BY TOM HACKETT
KSL Sports

SALT LAKE CITY – The opening round at The Open for Tony Finau did not go according to plan following a one-over-par round of 73.

The disappointing round comes during a time that saw St. Andrews in very favorable scoring conditions. The clubhouse leader is currently Cameron Young, who posted an eight-under-par round of 64 to have a two-shot lead on Rory Mcllroy and a three-shot buffer on the Australian Cam Smith.

Easy✅

Our leader Cameron Young moves to -7 with a birdie on the 12th#The150thOpen pic.twitter.com/w3W4CbWMRw

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 14, 2022

“I will take boring golf if that is boring,” Mcllroy told the media following his round when asked if he successfully completed his hope of playing boring golf this week. “There were some adventures out there but for the most part it was reasonably stress-free,” he added.

The opening round at St. Andrews for Tony Finau was the first round of golf in which he had played at St. Andrews during The Open in his career.

Tony Finau’s Opening Round Explained At The Open

Finau began with four consecutive pars before making bogey on the par 5 5th after three-putting from 11 yards. Another bogey fell on the par 3 8th before a closing front nine birdie had him making the turn at one-over-par.

On the back nine, Finau managed early birdies on 10 and 12 to be one-under on the round but he dropped more shots on 13, 15, and 17. Fortunately, a closing birdie on 18 in front of the exciting gallery may potentially prove influential going into the second round.

Putting Woes, Again

Finau battles to make putts throughout the opening round despite striking the ball with his woods and irons well. It was a frustrating performance from Finau who has faired well across the pond throughout his career to date.

Over 160ft😳#The150thOpen pic.twitter.com/ZakuMSVB09

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 14, 2022

Finau’s playing partners Will Zalatoris and Hideki Matsuyama concluded their opening rounds at one-over-par and one-under-par, respectively.

As the opening day progressed, the wind picked up. The elements that have become synonymous with Scottish-style links golf began worsening, which only adds to the frustration for Finau who played when the weather was as good as you can hope for at St. Andrews.