Making his Ryder Cup debut in Paris, get to know Tony Finau with these 12 facts.
12 Things You Didn’t Know About Tony Finau
Selected by Jim Furyk as the final wildcard pick for the American Ryder Cup team, Tony Finau has had a stellar year in 2018 making the cut in all four Majors and having top 10’s at The Masters, US Open and Open Championship.
Get to know the 28-year-old PGA professional with these 12 things you didn’t know about him.
12 Things You Didn’t Know About Tony Finau
1 Of Tongan and Samoan descent, Finau was born in Salt Lake City in Utah.
2 His real name is Milton Pouha ‘Tony’ Finau
3 He is a Mormon. He told Golf.com in 2016; “I’m pretty spiritual as well. I enjoy doing some church activities and doing my part in my community and my church.”
Finau poses with the trophy after winning the 2016 Puerto Rico Open (Getty Images)
4 He is married to Alayna Galea’i-Finau and they have four children together called Jraice, Leilene Aiaga, Tony, and Sage.
5 His first and only PGA Tour win came at the Puerto Rico Open in 2016 where he beat Steve Marino in a playoff.
6 Finau’s father Kelepi worked graveyard shifts for Delta and as a result didn’t have a lot of money. So when his children showed interest in golf, he decided to buy used equipment and also built a make-shift practice centre out of the garage.
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7 Finau was sceptical about playing golf for a living because it wasn’t a huge part of Polynesian culture. He once told ESPN, “Golf in the Polynesian culture was just so out of the zone. Nobody plays golf. Everybody thought only girls or old rich white men play that sport.”
8 Tony grew up with six siblings, including older brother Gipper who has played on the Web.com Tour.
9 His mother Ravena is widely accredited with pushing Tony to making a living out of golf. Sadly she died in a car accident in 2011.
Finau played in the 2004 and 2006 Junior Ryder Cups. (He is pictured at the back here) (Getty Images)
10 His best Major year came in 2018 where he had a tied 10th at the Masters, a fifth at the US Open, a tied 9th at The Open Championship, and a tied 42nd at the PGA Championship.
11 Finau, making his Ryder Cup debut in 2018, actually played in the Junior Ryder Cup in 2004 and 2006 for the United States. He was on the losing side both times.
12 He is the cousin of NBA Basketball player Jabari Parker, who currently plays for the Chicago Bulls.
The other three wildcard picks selected by Jim Furyk were Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau.
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