U.S. Open: Tony Finau talks Pinehurst, find out how to hit higher irons, extra

Tony Finau arrives at Pinehurst No. 2 looking for his first main championship.

The 34-year-old has recorded 10 top-10 finishes in majors, along with his final one coming on the PGA Championship in 2021, when he tied for eighth at Kiawah Island.

His greatest outcome got here at Royal Portrush in 2019 when he tied for third at The Open. However now, Finau believes his sport is trending in the best route.

Since tying for second on the Texas Kids’s Houston Open, Finau has not missed a minimize. He additionally tied for twelfth at Harbour City and 18th at Valhalla.

If not for a last spherical 75 at Colonial, he would have fared higher on the Charles Schwab Problem however nonetheless completed in a tie for seventeenth.

Nonetheless, Enjoying By means of caught up with Finau forward of the U.S. Open to debate his sport and plenty of different pertinent matters:

One-on-One with Tony Finau earlier than the U.S. Open:

(Editor’s Be aware: This dialog has been barely edited and modified for readability and readability.)

Enjoying By means of: What’s the state of your sport proper now?

Tony Finau: I might say, largely good. You already know, I’d say more often than not, it’s good, and it could possibly all the time be higher. As we all know, within the sport of golf, particularly skilled golf, we’re by no means pleased with the place our video games are, even after we’re taking part in nicely. However I’ve had some good finishes over the past couple of weeks. I’ve performed some very nice rounds and am trying ahead to the problem of Pinehurst No. 2 subsequent week.

PT: What do you make of Pinehurst? And what do you suppose must go best for you to win at Pinehurst?

Finau: So I performed on the U.S. Open at Pinehurst in 2014, when Martin Kaymer received. That was my first and solely time seeing the golf course, and I keep in mind at the moment simply pondering how cool the place was.

I don’t know that I’ve ever performed a golf course much like Pinehurst No. 2. There’s no actual bunkering, you realize. It’s form of a waste space everywhere in the golf course. The greens are very undulating; if I keep in mind appropriately, nearly each inexperienced is a turtle again inexperienced, which presents its issues.

So, I have to do two issues nicely subsequent week to win. Primary is driving. If I can drive it within the fairway, I can showcase my iron play, which has been very nice over the past couple of years. Then there’s my placing, particularly my lag placing.

I additionally have to gap putts within 10 ft.

I believe these are going to be an important issues.

I’m most likely going to make use of my putter lots across the greens. It offers you choices. That’s what I actually like about this golf course. Whenever you miss the inexperienced, you’ll by no means be two or three yards off of it. Due to the turtleback shapes, balls will roll into assortment areas, and also you’ll be 10 to twenty yards off the inexperienced.

I’m probably not a man that chips with an 8-iron or a 7-iron; I like placing and preserving the ball on the bottom. In order that’s going to be extraordinarily necessary. And so these are two issues I might look to for me to play nicely subsequent week.

Photograph by David Cannon/Getty Pictures

PT: You talked about iron play being your power. I’ve all the time admired your ball hanging, so what recommendation would you will have for an novice participant struggling to make good contact with their irons?

Finau: That’s an amazing query. A very powerful factor is that anytime you’re hitting a golf shot, and I do know it will sound actually foolish, an important factor is making stable contact.

So it’s important to begin with the fundamentals.

If you can also make stable contact chipping, you’ll be able to transfer again from there.

You already know, my Dad used to name it an L-to-L movement. Principally, you’re taking your left arm to 90 levels on the backswing after which take your proper arm to 90 levels by means of the shot. Then you definately construct from there.

You need to make stable contact. When you get the texture of constructing stable contact, you can also make the swing greater and larger, however it’s important to begin small.

I realized find out how to play the sport from the inexperienced, and went again from there. I used to be lucky that was the case as a result of I realized find out how to chip. Then, all the way in which up, I really feel like I’ve all the time been in a position to get the again of the ball and grow to be a really stable striker of the golf ball.

Luckily for me, I realized find out how to chip at a younger age. So I do know—and never lots of people wish to hear this—however everyone who instantly pulls their driver out on the driving vary is like ingesting poison. For those who’re beginning golf, you have to discover ways to chip first and make stable contact with the small swings.

As soon as you are able to do that, transfer to a half swing, then to a three-quarter swing. Then, make your full swings. I believe you’ll be shocked how stable contact you can also make.

Photograph by Tim Heitman/Getty Pictures

PT: Did you will have a complicated scouting journey to Pinehurst? Or will you head to Pinehurst after the Memorial Event and prep then?

Finau: I’ll get in Sunday evening after the Memorial. We’ll do our work on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

You already know, I believe numerous guys do take prep time to see the golf course and issues. Once more, I’ve solely seen it as soon as, however the way in which I’ve finished it’s, you actually get to see how the golf course goes to play the week of. Three days prior has all the time been greater than sufficient time for me to grasp the golf course, and be able to go by Thursday.

PT: What do you make of this 12 months’s schedule with all these signature occasions bookending majors—just like the U.S. Open sandwiched between the Memorial and the Vacationers Championship? Do you suppose that a few of these majors sneak up on you somewhat bit?

Finau: Yeah, somewhat bit. I believe that each occasion means a lot now. I believe there’s extra emphasis on the Signature Occasions than ever earlier than. There’s an emphasis on main championships and taking part in nicely simply due to how they’re arrange. For those who don’t end within the prime 50 on the finish of the 12 months within the FedEx Cup, you received’t be taking part in within the Signature Occasions subsequent 12 months.

So, each match means a lot.

And I do suppose, in a way, the majors form of creep up, like this week. However now we have Signature Occasions and Majors proper subsequent to every a few instances all year long. So it’s good to play all the large occasions, but it surely additionally places an emphasis on taking part in nicely in them. You’ll be able to’t simply be taking part in common golf. There are numerous nice gamers, and also you gotta have your greatest stuff each week, but it surely’s an amazing problem.

PT: Clearly, 2024 has not been the simplest of seasons in skilled golf, particularly on the PGA Tour. The final couple of weeks have been unimaginable, however shifting in direction of a extra constructive mindset, what has been your favourite second of the season so far?

Finau: No query. I believe there are all the time nice tales and nice takeaways. During the last couple of weeks, as you talked about, the passing of Grayson Murray has not been simple on the PGA Tour household. We’re really a household out right here—a brotherhood, and anytime we lose one in every of our personal, it’s all the time powerful.

But when I’m trying on the brilliant aspect, some nice issues have occurred over the previous few weeks.

Robbie MacIntyre profitable along with his Dad on the bag on the RBC Canadian Open was unbelievable. I’m an enormous fan of Robbie MacIntyre.

I’ve identified him for fairly some time, and his dream was to play on the PGA Tour. I talked with him in Europe in 2018 whereas taking part in at a European Tour occasion. He expressed to me then that his lifelong dream was to play on the PGA Tour. So, to see him win along with his Dad on the bag final week was simply unbelievable.

Photograph by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Pictures

Xander Schauffele profitable his first main championship the week earlier than, having the drama come all the way down to the 18th gap, was an unbelievable second for the sport.

I additionally thought The Gamers Championship this 12 months was as thrilling of a match as I’ve seen in a really very long time. We had the primary participant on the earth coming down the stretch, doing his factor. Scottie shoots 64 on Sunday and then you definitely had three different guys with an opportunity. Brian Harman had a putt on 18. Wyndham Clark had a putt. Xander had a putt. It was simply an thrilling end at TPC Sawgrass.

PT: Talking of Scottie Scheffler, what do you make of his play this 12 months? And the place had been you while you found that he received arrested?

Finau: Nicely, I had simply woken up. I didn’t have a morning tee time for the second spherical of the PGA, so after I awoke, it was clearly everywhere in the information, and I used to be simply in mattress in my lodge. A really unlucky scenario, however I’m pleased that every one the costs had been dropped on him. I simply thought it was a really unlucky miscommunication.

However Scottie is an unbelievable participant.

I believe he’s a generational expertise. He’s already proven that over these final couple of years. He’s simply scratching the floor of who I believe he actually is. Lots of people are saying, ‘He’s on this unbelievable run.’ Nicely, I don’t know that it’s a run greater than that is who this man is.

He’s an unbelievable golfer.

He’s received an amazing head on his shoulders.

He’s received his priorities, they usually appear to be intact. He is aware of who he’s, and that may be a loopy mixture while you’re as proficient as he’s. It’s fairly particular to witness, truthfully.

Photograph by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Pictures

PT: Are you able to contact in your relationship with American Categorical? And the way you’ll have the Mo’ Bettah brand on the stomach of your bag subsequent week? What does it imply so that you can characterize Utah on the U.S. Open?

Finau: I’ve been a proud Amex ambassador for over 5 years. They’ve dedicated to backing small companies and communities for a very long time, and for them to assist Mo’ Bettah, which is my favourite restaurant in Utah, means the world to me.

If you’re ever in Utah, it’s important to test it out.

However they now have eating places in Nevada, California, Texas, and Oklahoma. However to get the publicity they will get subsequent week, being on the stomach of my bag, means the whole lot to me.

It’s a Hawaiian restaurant, and Hawaii holds a really particular place in my coronary heart. I like Hawaiian meals. I actually have a Finau favourite plate on the menu, and the proceeds from that go on to my basis.

So, simply good vibes throughout.

PT: Fast follow-up to that. What’s on the Finau plate?

Finau: We’ve teriyaki steak, teriyaki hen, three scoops of white rice, and two scoops of macaroni salad with somewhat little bit of lettuce on the underside. You’ll be able to have extra teriyaki sauce on the highest, but it surely’s a wholesome portion. I can’t even end my favourite plate, and I’m an enormous eater, so it’s a wholesome portion.

Starting on Jun. 10 at 9 a.m. ET, followers can enter for an opportunity to win a Tony Finau U.S. Open prize bundle, which features a Nike hat, polo, and golf sneakers, a Tony Finau autographed Pinehurst pin flag, and a $150 USGAShop.com Reward Card.

To enter, followers can go to go.amex/golfentertowin throughout the week of the U.S. Open and till the conclusion of the ultimate spherical on Sunday, Jun. 16.

Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Enjoying By means of. Make sure you take a look at @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You’ll be able to comply with him on Twitter @jack_milko as nicely.