SALT LAKE CITY – Tony Finau has concluded his opening round of the 2022/23 PGA Tour season with a three-under-par round following the first round of the Mayakoba Golf Classic.
Finau finished the opening round shooting a 3-under-par, 68, and currently finds himself 6 shots off the leader Will Gordan who managed to post a 9-under-par, 62.
Finau’s Opening Round Explained
Finau started on the first tee and started his season with a par on the opening hole. However, he quickly found trouble on the par 4, 2nd, when he made triple bogey after finding two penalties on the hole.
Fortunately, Finau recovered with a birdie on 3 before making his final bogey of the day on 5. Finau would go bogey free the remaining 12 holes while draining 6 birdies. Finau concluded the round with a birdie on 18 following a remarkable second shot that left him with just a two-foot putt.
Tony Finau By The Numbers
Prior to the tournament, Finau spoke to the media and mentioned how he is excited to drive the ball well at the Mayakoba Golf Classic, a tournament that he has found success at in the past. Following the opening round, Finau found just 50% of the fairways off the tee and was forced to scramble for the majority of the day.
“It’s not a long golf course, but as my driving has improved, it has become a golf course that I’ve thought played better and has looked better to me,” Finau said. “So I’m looking forward to driving it well this week hopefully and scoring well.”
Furthermore, Finau only found the green in regulation on 61%. He relied on his putting to save a poor display of ball striking from the beginning of his 2022/23 PGA Tour season in disaster.
Nevertheless, Finau is still in contention with three rounds to go. He currently sits in a share of 45th and is tinkering with the cut line. Finau will need a solid second day to qualify for the weekend.
Prior to this year, Finau has played the Mayakoba Golf Classic 6 times and has finished inside the top 10 on 2 occasions. Most recently, Finau concluded the 2021 event in a share of 45th while in 2020 he finished in a tie for 8th.
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