It’s one thing to have a great backstory, but that elusive breakthrough victory would be nice, too
TONY Finau has put together quite a resume — with one glaring omission.
A consequential victory.
‘‘I’ve had a really successful career,’’ Finau said, ‘‘but not quite a winning career.’’
The perennial close-but-nocigar member of the US PGA Tour, Finau has positioned himself again to deliver a breakthrough victory, the sort of triumph that would make him a household name beyond those diehard golf fans who recognise his immense talent.
Finau carded a 6-under 66 yesterday at Augusta in the second round of the US Masters, leaving him just three strokes behind British leader Justin Rose (72) heading to the third round today.
Aussie fighters Marc Leishman (67), Cameron Smith (68) and Matt Jones (67) all revived hopes of a green jacket heading back down under after Rose opened the door with a slow start.
Rose defied treacherous conditions with a career-best opening seven-under-par 65 but was looking shaky after dropping three shots in his first seven holes.
The two-time runner-up rebounded with three late birdies to retain the clubhouse lead.
But Americans Will Zalatoris (68) and Brian Harman (69) cut the Englishman’s four-stroke overnight buffer to just one, with the Aussie trio and Finau, plus American aces Jordan Speith (68) and Justin Thomas (67) all lurking within three.
The first player of Tongan and American Samoan descent to make the tour, the 1.93m (6ft 4in) Finau is hard to miss when he’s strolling the course.
There’s no denying his skills, either.
Finau has finished in the top five of all four major championships, his best showing a third-place finish at the 2019 British Open. He’s represented the US at both the Ryder Cup and the Presidents Cup. Over the past three years, he’s spent all but one week inside the top 20 of the world ranking.
Yet, despite those myriad accomplishments, Finau has managed a single win on the PGA Tour, the 2016 Puerto Rico Open.
Finau was still early in his career at the time, still working his way up.
It’s a familiar position for Finau, who played in the final group of the epic 2019 Masters won by Tiger Woods.
Two years later, Finau is still trying to figure out how to finish the job.
‘‘I’ve had a lot of close calls,’’ he conceded.
Eventually, as he kept shoving his way into contention at bigger and bigger events, his remarkable journey began to get noticed.
How he learned to play the game smacking golf balls into a net in his family’s garage, hitting off carpet remnants. How his father scrimped for clubs at pawn shops and garage sales and anywhere else he could get them on the cheap.
Yet, despite all his success and feel-good backstory, it’s impossible to ignore that Finau’s winless streak has now stretched to more than five years.
He knows that must change if he’s going be recognised as a truly great player.
‘‘I feel like I carry a lot of confidence in these big events because I have competed at a high level in a lot of them,’’ he said.
‘‘But I think missing that W keeps me humble and hungry, and hopefully I can notch that off this week.’’ For the most part, Finau shows little emotion. No matter how his round his going — good, bad or indifferent — his calm demeanour rarely changes.
‘‘This is how I am, who I am,’’ he said.
‘‘I’m not someone that’s going to freak out when something bad happens, and I’m probably not one that’s going to get too crazy when something great happens.’’
Is that what’s holding him
back? Should he pump a fist every now and then? Should he pound his club when a shot goes awry?
‘‘I’m not going to change who I am to get different results,’’ Finau said.
‘‘Maybe I should, but I think good things are on the horizon. I just have to think that way because that’s how I am.’’
Maybe this is the time and place.