Tony Finau Impresses Again Throughout Opening Round Of FedEx Cup Playoffs
Aug 11, 2022, 3:16 PM
Tony Finau of the United States reacts to a missed putt on the first green during the first round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind on August 11, 2022 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – Tony Finau has concluded his opening round at the FedEx St. Jude Championship with a six-under-par round to card a 64.
As a result, Finau is in a share of third place with three rounds to play.
The St. Jude Championship is the opening week of the FedEx Cup playoffs. The top 125 players in the world, according to the FedEx Cup standings, are in the field. Next week at the BMW Championship the field shrinks to the top 70 while the Tour Championship will only consist of the top 30 golfers as they compete for a grand prize of $18 million.
Tony Finau’s Opening Round Explained
Finau’s round began on the 10th tee box and started with an opening birdie on the par 4 10th following a beautiful chip from just in front of the green that rolled with perfect speed into the middle of the cup.
Probably not the way he intended …
But a birdie to start @TonyFinauGolf's round nonetheless. pic.twitter.com/lRFnmsUX7u
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 11, 2022
However, a disappointing bogey brought Finau back to even par on the 12th. Then, Finau caught fire as he made three consecutive birdies on holes 15, 16, and 17. During that stretch, Finau left himself with two three-foot putts for birdie on holes 15 and 16 before draining a 10-foot putt on the par 3 17th that turned from right to left and trickles over the front lip of the cup.
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He made the turn at three under par.
Finau then made his second bogey on the par 4 1st but immediately recovered with a birdie on the second hole. On the par 3 4th hole, Finau drained a 15-foot putt for another birdie to get him to four-under-par. Another putt dropped on the par 4 6th before closing with a birdie on the 9th hole following a wicked approach shot from 148 yards that dropped dead 3 feet from the pin.
Coming off two straight wins, @TonyFinauGolf fires an opening round 64 and heads straight to the range. pic.twitter.com/Elu5cUGgrB
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 11, 2022
FedEx Cup Playoff Aspirations Sky High For Tony Finau
Finau enters the FedEx Cup playoffs ranked 7th in the field, it is his highest ranking entering the playoffs to date.
His high ranking is largely due to his consecutive recent wins at the 3M Open and the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Prior to the 3M Open, Finau was ranked 30th in the FedEx Cup standings.
Finau continued his impressive form by hitting a large percentage of fairways and converting them into a lot of greens in regulation. Furthermore, Finau has found form with his putter, which has historically been the club that has let Finau down over the years.
Currently, Si-woo Kim and J.J Spaun lead the field at eight-under-par. Finau is tied for third alongside J.T Poston, while a large list of golfers including Jason Day and Rickie Fowler find themselves in a share of fifth at five under par.
Finau will tee off the first tee tomorrow at 10:55 a.m. alongside Justin Thomas and Cameron Young. Following tomorrow’s round, the top 65 players and ties will qualify for the weekend.
