‘We’re still celebrating now’: 24 hours after rare back-to-back wins, Tony Finau is still smiling

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FARMINGTON — Less than 24 hours after winning back-to-back PGA Tour titles for the first time in his career, Tony Finau barely had time to breathe, but only to celebrate, his latest honor. at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit while going through banter, drills and friendly long-drive competition with some local college golfers as part of a clinic with the Tony Finau Foundation Golf Classic.

There was no celebratory steak dinner the night before, no early morning run to McDonald’s – he didn’t even have most of his family with him, except for his wife, Alayna, who surprised him by showing up at his hotel on Saturday night before the final round.

Finau, after all, had work to do now. He had a charity golf tournament to organize for the benefit of his Tony Finau Foundation, which was played every year at the Oakridge Country Club in conjunction with the Utah Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour.

So Tony and Alayna Finau boarded a small flight into the Provo airport Sunday night and were instantly greeted by several dozen family, friends and well-wishers to congratulate the four-time PGA Tour winner.

And then there was dancing. Boy I was dancing.

“We had to get on a flight right away, but we’re still celebrating now,” Finau said. “My wife had to bring the kids home from Minnesota after that first win and she told me that maybe she should go to Detroit to celebrate the win.

“I told him, okay; when I get back home, we’re going to have two wins. Somehow I put it front and center in my mind to get back on track and be ready to go back to Detroit. I was confident enough … I knew I was playing hard enough. good enough to put myself back there on Sunday. And to be able to seal the deal was a nice feeling.”

Finau likes to say that every week can be life-changing on the PGA Tour, where races are made and others are broken with a putt, a drive or a change in the wind. He’s had the idea since he was a junior golfer, when his father and his late mother took him to local events along the Wasatch Front before driving for the show. Y put for the dough.

For the 32-year-old Rose Park native, it took two weeks, perhaps not to prove he belonged on the PGA Tour (he has for several years), but to prove he could victory with the best of them. And in the past 10 days, he has established himself as a force, the first winner of back-to-back regular-season events since 2019 with one of the best putters on the PGA Tour. before the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

Sunday was a little different, though Finau closed out a tournament he led from start to finish and won a field he led going into Sunday’s final round for the first time in six attempts.

There’s also no better place to enjoy it than in its home state of Utah.

“Utah is definitely home,” said Finau, who splits his time between Lehi and Arizona, where his swing coach, Boyd Summerhays, lives. “I love being from Utah, I’m proud to represent Utah. I’ve been interviewed here since I was 7 years old. To come back and celebrate this with the state of Utah and my amazing fan base in Utah is something.

“It’s very good, and I think a lot of Utahns are proud of it.”

Finau was one of the highest-rated players on the course in both the Twin Cities and Detroit, and winning simply cemented him as one of the best golfers on the PGA Tour. He currently sits at No. 7 in the FedEx Cup standings, which will determine the start of the playoffs in two weeks, and rose to No. 13 in the Official World Golf Ranking while practically cementing a spot on the Presidents Cup roster.

So naturally, as his star shines brighter and the wins keep coming, the question will follow Finau, whether he likes it or not, about his allegiance to the PGA Tour. With several top golfers like Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson defecting to the LIV Golf series backed by Saudi Investment Fund In recent weeks, Finau reaffirmed his allegiance to “the best tour in the world” on Monday.

“For me, at this point in my career, it’s so much about the satisfaction of winning golf tournaments, of winning against the best players in the world, on what I feel is the best tour in the world,” he said. “The satisfaction that comes from that, no amount of money can buy it; it’s just a satisfaction that I’m looking for, after all these years of hard work.

“Being at my best ever, having the chance to reap some of the rewards of winning, there’s nothing that can sum up how that feels.”

The last two weeks have felt like a breakthrough for those who have watched Finau’s run for the past 11 seasons, or more. But the breakthrough didn’t come with two wins, he replies; a winner is just a loser who kept trying, he likes to say.

Finau is not doing anything different. But after a lifetime of being so close, the results begin to even her game.

“I don’t know if ‘advancement’ is the word; maybe some relief there. I think some strength and some confidence is drawn from it,” he said. “I’ve been very patient with myself over the years, to allow myself to grow and become what I can become. I think it’s great now to start seeing some of the results.”

Finau will take the week off, spend time with his family and prepare for the playoffs. After the end of the regular season in North Carolina, the top 70 players in the standings will earn a start in the FedEx St. Jude Championship, with 50 advancing to the BMW Championship and 30 to the TOUR Championship. The purses have similarly soared, with bonus funds totaling $145 million, including $75 million for the FedEx Cup champion.

“I’m excited for next week and the playoffs,” he said. “I’m looking forward to being on those courses and competing for a FedEx Cup.”

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