Utah’s Tony Finau finished in a tie for 26th place at the Masters on Sunday in Augusta, Ga., shooting an even-par 72 in the final round and finishing the tournament at even-par 288.
In the final round of the rain-delayed tournament, Finau had a birdie on the par-5 second hole, and a bogey on par-3 fourth. He played every other hole at par.
Finau was unable to add to his three top-10 finishes at the event.
Jon Rahm finished with a round of 69 to win at 12-under 276, four strokes ahead of Brooks Koepka (75 in the final round ) and Phil Mickelson (65).
Day 3
Tony Finau was sitting at even par when heavy rain stopped play.
Finau had had completed 12 holes in the third round at 1-over par when play was halted. He started the round with an even-par 36 on the back nine, with birdies on the 13th and 15th holes, and bogeys on the 14th and 17th.
He had a bogey on the par-4 first hole, then had pars on the second and third holes before play was halted.
Nobody finished the third round on Saturday, and play will resume at 8:30 a.m. EDT on Sunday with leader Brooks Koepka (13 under par) holding a four-shot lead over Jon Rahm. Amateur Sam Bennett was in third place at 6 under. Those three players completed just six holes in the third round.
Finau was in a nine-way tie for 28th place.
Day 2
Tony Finau waited out a weather delay before being able to hit his second shot on No. 18 at Augusta National on Friday.
When he returned the course, Finau added one more bogey to a disappointing scorecard.
When it rains, it pours — even at the Masters.
Finau recorded seven bogeys en route to a 74 during second-round play. The Utah golfer now sits at 1-under for the weekend.
Finau’s troubles started early Friday. After a birdie on the par-5 second, Finau bogeyed his next four holes.
The 33-year-old had some positive moments on the back nine, where he eagled the par-5 13th and birdied Nos. 10 and 15. But Finau also racked up three more bogeys on the back half.
Day 1
(Mark Baker | AP) Tony Finau, left, and Scottie Scheffler walk to the 15th green during a practice for the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club, Monday, April 3, 2023, in Augusta, Ga.
After navigating all of the tricks and nuances of the Augusta greens, it was a relatively straightforward 3-footer that got away from Tony Finau on Thursday afternoon.
Finau’s putt on No. 16 skirted just by the lip of the cup, a missed opportunity after an excellent tee shot on the par-3.
Finau will want that shot back, but not too many others after the opening round at the Masters. The Utahn finished 3-under for the day, leaving him four shots back of the lead and tied for 13th heading into Day 2 at Augusta National.
Jon Rahm overcame a four-putt double bogey on the opening hole to finish at 7-under 65 and tied for the first round lead with Viktor Hovland and LIV golfer Brooks Koepka. Cameron Young and Jason Day are two shots back after posting 67s. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler is three shots back after shooting 68.
Finau hit 11 of 14 fairways and reached 13 greens in regulation on his way to five birdies.
The 33-year-old certainly bounced back nicely after finding a fairway bunker off the No. 1 tee and bogeying the hole.
He trickled in a putt from the fringe on No. 3 to get back to even par — start a run of three birdies over five holes.
On No. 7, Finau found the fairway then landed his approach shot just short of the flagstick only to watch it spin back off the green from there. His chip went a touch long and he had to two-putt for his second and final bogey of the day.
On the back nine, Finau took care of business on the par 5s. He rolled an eagle attempt just past the hole for a no-pressure birdie on 13. And left another eagle opportunity just short on a downhill putt on par-5 15th.
Tee time & how to watch
Finau, Tommy Fleetwood and Jordan Spieth were the last group out Thursday. On Friday, they will tee off at 8:54 a.m. MT.
TV: The opening two rounds of the tournament will be broadcast on ESPN; Saturday’s and Sunday’s coverage will be on CBS
STREAMING: Featured groups and select holes are streamed live on Masters.com
Finau’s form
Tony Finau has a different feeling about this trip to Augusta National.
“The first couple of years you’re out there,” the Utah golfer said in an interview on CBS this week, “you definitely feel like you’re walking on eggshells a little bit.”
And that’s to say nothing of Finau’s infamous dislocated ankle, suffered while celebrating a hole-in-one during the Par-3 competition back in 2018.
As Finau prepares for his sixth appearance at the Masters, the 33-year-old says he feels more comfortable and ready to take on the field in golf’s most famous tournament. Finau’s strengths make him a serious threat at Augusta (ESPN lists Finau alongside reigning champ Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy as legitimate contenders this week). But can he put it all together to win his first green jacket?
Finau was on fire in 2022, winning the 3M Open, Rocket Mortgage Classic, and the Houston Open. He hasn’t been electric to start 2023, but he’s certainly been solid.
2023 results
Tournament of Champions — T7
American Express — T16
Farmers Open — T9
Phoenix Open — T14
Genesis Open — T20
Arnold Palmer — T24
The Players — T19
“I feel good. Body is healthy,” Finau said Wednesday. “Mind feels pretty good leading into the Masters and just major championship season in general.”
Last year, Finau arrived at Augusta tied for No. 196 among 209 qualified players in “strokes gained: putting.” This season, Finau is No. 23 in that category and he says he feels as confident as ever on the greens.
2022-23 stats
Scoring Average — No. 5 (69.675)
Birdie Average — No. 3
Strokes Gained: Total — No. 4
Strokes Gained: Approach to Green — No. 3
Greens in regulation — No. 9
Putting — No. 23
Scrambling — No. 23
Masters history
Finau is a +2000 pick to be the outright winner, according to DraftKings.com. He’s +460 to finish in the top 5. And he’s shown he can play on this stage: the West High alum has three top-10 finishes in five appearances at the Masters.
2018 — T10
2019 — T5
2020 — T38
2021 — T10
2022 — T35
— The Associated Press contributed to this report.
