Tony Finau Wins Rocket Mortgage Classic, Secures Second Consecutive PGA Tour Victory
Jul 31, 2022, 3:51 PM | Updated: 4:01 pm
Tony Finau of the United States reacts after making par on the ninth green during the final round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club on July 31, 2022 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
(Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – Tony Finau has won his second consecutive PGA Tour tournament following his victory at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
“It feels amazing, last week was amazing, but I was actually quite disappointed in my finish last week and all I wanted to do this week was to show that I am a winner, that I am a champion and I think I did that today,” Finau said immediately following his round.
With the victory, Finau won $1.512 million for his efforts taking his season tally to $5,533,636 in prize money across 22 events played.
Finau secured his first victory following a 54-hole lead, previously he was 0 for 5.
Tony Finau Victorious, Again
2 wins in 2 weeks 🏆🏆@TonyFinauGolf is victorious @RocketClassic for back-to-back Ws. pic.twitter.com/qvpNeWib1B
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 31, 2022
Finau, 32, won by four shots breaking the tournament record with a final score of 26-under-par. His score was five shots better than the rest of the field as Patrick Cantlay, Cameron Young, and Taylor Pendrith finished tied in second at 21-under-par.
Last week, Finau secured his third PGA Tour victory with a win at the 3M Open. It is the first time in Finau’s career that he has won back-to-back tournaments on the PGA Tour.
Finau’s first PGA Tour win came in 2016 at The Puerto Rico Open. He then waited five years to win his next tournament when he beat Cam Smith in a playoff at The Northern Trust in 2021. Last week’s victory and today’s win bring Finau’s record to four wins on the PGA Tour.
Driving Perfection
The difference with Finau over the previous two weeks has been his driving accuracy. Finau has hit over 75% of fairways which has therefore made his approach to greens far more accurate.
“He has outplayed everybody this week by a mile,” golfing legend and commentator Nick Faldo said when talking about Finau.
In both the 3M Open and the Rocket Mortgage Classic, Finau led the field in scoring from tee to green.
This week in Detroit, Finau hit every green in regulation between holes 10 to 13, the toughest three-hole stretch on the golf course.
Furthermore, Finau went 64 holes without making a bogey, the longest stretch in his career. His only bogey of the tournament came on the par 3 11th. But he immediately recovered when he made a 30-foot putt for birdie on the par 4 12th, the hardest hole on the golf course.
He concluded the tournament having made 27 birdies.
A huge bounce-back for Tony Finau, and he knows it. Fist pumps his way to a 4-shot lead at @RocketClassic. pic.twitter.com/Xy5v4RYLYI
— Golf Central (@GolfCentral) July 31, 2022
Unlike a week ago, the final few holes were care-free for Finau who held a four-shot lead with just three holes remaining.
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He was calm, in control, and comfortable.
Next week marks the final PGA Tour event on the calendar before the FedEx Cup playoffs begin. Finau is not in the field at next week’s Wyndham Championship, rather, he will prepare for the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Currently, Finau finds himself 7th in the FedEx Cup standings. He started the week in the 17th position and was 30th the week prior to the 3M Open.
