Tony Finau endured a challenging 2025 season on the PGA Tour, falling well short of the heights he had previously reached.
Across 20 events, he managed just a single top-10 finish and saw his world ranking slip all the way to 89th.
Looking ahead to 2026, Finau will be aiming to turn things around, focusing on hard and smart practice with a clear goal of getting back into contention for titles.
This past year, every part of his game seemed off. But it was his putting that stood out as a major issue, consistently letting him down when it mattered most.
He finished the year ranked 126th in strokes gained putting. At one point during the season, he even experimented with one-handed putting in hopes of finding something that clicked.
That approach did not pan out, so now it is back to basics as he prepares for the upcoming season. But Finau does appear open to making changes and bringing some new ideas into his game for 2026.
Tony Finau is set to make a change he has not made in eight years on the PGA Tour
For Finau, believing in himself again will be just as important as any technical adjustments. He needs to remind himself that he is still one of the top players in the world.
The work will be there, no question, but sometimes it is about finding small tweaks rather than overhauling everything. Staying out of old patterns can make a real difference.
During an appearance on The Lads YouTube channel, Jason Day asked Finau about his first event of 2026, and he answered: “Sony. Yeah, I’m gonna go over there and play.
“Yeah, we spend we usually spend New Year’s down there. She’s from there, so I was like, this is the perfect year to do it.
“We’ll be down there since they’re not having the Sentry. We don’t have to go to Maui. We can just stay on island.
“I’ll be over at Turtle Bay practising.
“It’s a nice spot because it’s pretty exclusive as far as, like, from the clubhouse to where you go practice, it’s actually, like, a 15 minute cart ride. So it kind of ends up being really nice. Nobody’s out there.”
The last time he played in the event was back in 2018 when he made a hole-in-one on Waialae Country Club’s 17th during his third round.
Returning to the Sony Open this season – eight years after that memorable ace – should bring back some positive energy as he looks to start strong in 2026.
Analysing Tony Finau’s 2025 season and what the numbers tell us
Finau appeared completely out of sorts at times on the golf course throughout 2025.
The five missed cuts in 20 tournaments played are a clear indication of his struggles.
What is more, there was not even one standout performance or encouraging stretch to build on.
He finished outside the top 100 across all five key PGA Tour statistical categories.
It is always tough for players to regain form when it is not just one part of their game that needs attention. In Finau’s case, it is the whole package – driving, irons, short game and putting all need work.
Getting everything firing again will not be easy, and fans may need to be patient before seeing him back at his best. But there is still plenty of time left in his career for another run at trophies.
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