“Winning breeds confidence,” stated Tony Finau all through the week of the 2022 Houston Open. Claiming his fifth PGA Tour title — and third in his last seven tournaments — with a dominating efficiency at Memorial Park Golf Course, Finau’s confidence is simply now starting to shine by. As quiet as it might have been, or could also be, it’s most actually current. If Houston is any indication of what Finau is actually able to, the remainder of the PGA Tour ought to take discover.
Finishing the event at 16 underneath, Finau appeared to play a special golf course en path to besting the sphere by 4 strokes. Beginning his week with a benign opening 9, the 33-year-old discovered a special gear throughout his inward half on Thursday, taking part in it in 5 underneath and ascending to the highest of the leaderboard.
Finau did not look again from there as rounds of 62, 68 and 69 adopted his first spherical of 5-under 65. Occupying the pole place for everything of the week, Finau slowly sucked the air out of the golf event due to a constant lengthy sport and a new-found confidence with the putter in hand.
“I’m putting it better than I’ve ever putted it, more consistently and I know that’s the part of my game I’ve always needed to be better at, so that on the technical side, for sure,” stated Finau on the onset of the weekend. “But the belief’s there because of some of the success I’ve had over the last 16 months of my career, and I put myself in another nice situation this week.”
Not solely has Finau’s perception remodeled over the last 16 months, however so has the notion of him as a participant. Long often known as somebody unable to seal the deal on Sundays, the American skilled his fair proportion of agonizing moments throughout a winless drought that lasted greater than 4 years.
“I’ve always had belief, but the confidence when you win is contagious,” stated Finau. “I’ve always been a very hopeful person. I work extremely hard, and now I’m starting to bear the fruits of that labor, of all that work.”
This drought has since changed into a deluge of victories as he now boasts 4 wins over the span of his last 32 tournaments. With a lot success in such little time, and this refined confidence of his now matching the apparent expertise, what might be subsequent for Finau?
While the PGA Tour, and golf as a complete, has changed into a younger man’s sport with new stars like Tom Kim popping up on each nook, Finau is a stark distinction. He is now 33, 5 instances a winner, a member of the last 4 United States groups between the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup, and has persistently factored in no less than one main championship per season since 2018.
Are 10 profession victories and a serious championship in the playing cards? Sixteen months in the past, any response aside from “no” could be full lunacy, however right here we’re. A assured, persistent Finau has the potential to achieve such accolades. In an period that options a lot parity, Houston might be one other constructing block in the direction of simply that. Grade: A+
Here are the grades for the remainder of the leaderboard on the 2022 Houston Open.
T9. Scottie Scheffler (-6): The No. 2 participant in the world holed out to finish his event and his yr on the PGA Tour. That’s becoming contemplating just one participant in the world acquired the ball in the cup with extra effectivity than Scheffler all through 2022. His T9 ends a pleasant little three-tournament fall after posting two high 10s and a T45 over the last month. This truly appears fairly just like how last fall went, and everyone knows concerning the spring that adopted. Scheffler completed second this week in strokes gained tee to inexperienced, which is notable as a result of it is a reminder that if the putter bounces again beginning in January, we might be in for one more run from any individual who I feel continues to be fairly underrated in the golf world. Grade: B
T22. Sahith Theegala (-4): Theegala shall be in the sphere subsequent week on the RSM Classic, and he goes into the last occasion of the autumn with a bit of little bit of momentum. He completed T22 in Houston after a T6 on the Fortinet and a T5 on the Zozo Championship earlier in the autumn. Most importantly for him, he is hitting the ball in addition to he’s all fall. His method numbers in Houston had been fabulous, and his last season reveals that his greatest iron play comes in batches. It’s not troublesome to ascertain Theegala notching his first victory on the PGA Tour on the last occasion of the yr and making a little bit of a leap heading into the transient offseason. Grade: B+
T22. Aaron Wise (-4): I’ll take any opening I can to jot down about Wise. This is his third consecutive high 25 this fall, although it feels a bit like a wasted alternative. He was lights out on and across the greens this week, however couldn’t get his usually dependable irons going and completed 63 in method and 54th off the tee. That’s not an enormous concern relating to Wise as a result of his current historical past does not imply he is in a tee-to-green hunch; slightly, it is one which he’ll possible look again on and want that he had his normal stuff as a result of he possible may have made no less than a little bit of a run at Finau on the weekend. Grade: B
T39. Harris English (E): After lacking February by May with an harm, English didn’t play properly to shut out the 2021-22 PGA Tour season. His fall has been a bit higher. He’s made 5 of six cuts and had his second-best driving week of the last six occasions in Houston. After thriving on the Ryder Cup workforce last fall, English acquired a bit misplaced in the shuffle with the whole lot that was happening in the golf world and since he wasn’t taking part in properly (or in any respect) for a lot of the yr. It could be nice to see him get again in the combination on the RSM and past as he works his manner again towards being a high 30 participant in the world. Grade: B-