Matthew Coritz

In a surprising heavyweight battle at the usually weaker-fielded Mexico Open, Tony Finau took down both the best golfer in the world Jon Rahm, and one of the tour’s fastest-rising stars Akshay Bhatia. Coming after the Masters, and then sandwiched between two designated events, many guys took the week off for some much-deserved rest before this week’s Wells Fargo Championship, but the cream of the crop rose to the top. That has been a common theme this season, where a game that can be so random and volatile has been star-dominated. Bhatia is a wiry 21-year-old who seems destined for that tier of stardom, but it’s just not his time yet. He definitely gained valuable experience in a final group with these two though. Last year it was Rahm who took the title, but Finau gets his revenge this year with a wire-to-wire performance. It’s a common notion in tournament golf that even the winners most weeks don’t have their best stuff all 4 days. That’s just how the game of golf goes, but Finau may have an objection to that idea with the way he brought it every day this past week. He was in total control from tee to green and was rolling his rock.

For years, the narrative was once Finau figures out how to win and get over the hump, the wins will come in bunches afterward. That has certainly been the case after something clicked for him last summer. He broke his 5-year drought to get his second win on Tour at the Northern Trust in the playoffs in 2021, then really hit his stride after winning the Rocket Mortgage last summer. With the win in Nuevo Vallarta, he now is up to 6 wins on Tour, and slides up to number 11 in the Official World Golf Ranking. The numbers say he’s been even better than that though sitting at number 3 in the Datagolf rankings, an advanced analytics system, and also number 3 in total strokes gained on the season. After winning at -24, he seems to be more confident on slightly easier tracks as the average score to par in his wins has him in the high teens each time. I’m looking for him to take the next step in those tougher environments and really contend in a major this year, as his ball striking has been at the elite level that is needed to win at those kinds of setups. Now that he knows how to win on tour, as one of the most likable guys in the game, I am certainly not alone in wanting to see him get it done on the biggest of stages. 

We all know the heater that Rahm has been on, and with this week he has set the record for most money earned in a PGA tour season. It’s still May. Depending on his FedEx Cup playoff performance he could come close to doubling the old record that he just broke. The quality of the play on the tour has of course been there, and now the money is starting to back it up. Of course, that money still has to be earned not given and I think that’s the ideal model. Can improvements still be made to the model? Sure, I’d like to see cuts at every single tournament, and maybe incorporate some team events into the schedule like the International Crown tournament the LPGA tour just fielded. They were repping their countries, they had jerseys on and it was kind of cool. I think events like the Zurich classic keep fans on their toes and why not add one with some international team flavor. The Ryder and Presidents Cups are obviously unmatched but why not a tournament with say 4 guys from each country from all over the globe at one event? There are two-man team events but I think a fall season 4-man thing would be pretty fun. 

To top it all off, just a few hours later, Finau was caddying for two of his sons on a local par 3 course. There were people that got some footage of him doing it, but he was certainly not doing it for the cameras. The Netflix Full Swing episode about Finau did a great job profiling him and put such a big emphasis on him being a family man. He really is that guy, both when the camera is filming and when it’s not. It’s refreshing to see, it seems like some guys think it’s a choice to either be an elite tour pro or be a great Dad but Finau is such a good example of just doing your best to be both. He’s committed to every facet of his life and is such a good role model for golfers young and old.  

One parting thought I’ll leave is this quote from Finau that may just be what clicked when he started this run last summer. After that Rocket Mortage win that broke open the floodgates, Finau said, “They say a winner is just a loser that kept on trying, and that’s me to a tee. How many times do I lose? But one thing I won’t do is give up, and I’m only here as a winner because I chose not to give up and kept going.”