Tony Finau has shown no signs of returning to his best form so far in 2026.
The six-time PGA Tour winner had endured a number of difficult seasons of late. Last year, he missed five cuts, made only one top 10, and his best finish at a major was T19 at the PGA Championship.
And it’s looked no better this year. Finau has missed three cuts in four events, and his only made cut came at Torrey Pines at the Farmers Insurance Open, where he finished T11. The American looks a long way from contention.
However, what happened during his opening round at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am surprised Finau, and it’s a great sign for the rest of the season.
Tony Finau was surprised with his own play at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am
Finally, some signs of life from Finau, who finished his opening round at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am with a score of 64, leaving him eight under par and in T4.
And after the round, he admitted that even he was surprised by the round that he put together. Speaking to reporters, Finau said, “Yeah, it’s a really nice round. Putter got hot for me, which was nice. I hit some really high-quality shots on the holes that I needed to today, and hit a lot of fairways. It was just one of those solid days of golf.
He continued, “There was wind. It wasn’t crazy. You get out on holes 2, 3, 4 and it can get tough because the wind seems to always blow the hardest there. But again, I just hit some high-quality shots, made some really nice strikes on the holes
“I really needed to and I was able to capitalize on birdie looks that I had inside 15 feet. So on a day like today that was a solid round.”
He was asked if he saw this round coming, and responded, “No, I can’t say I did, Adam, to be honest with you. Haven’t had my best stuff all season. But one thing my experience always teaches me is that when it’s a new week, it’s a new week.
“At any given time, you can change the mojo of your season, and I think this definitely can be considered that.”
He concluded that it all comes down to his approach play: “Yeah, my iron play has been my bread and butter really throughout my PGA TOUR career. Just not up to par with my iron game. But today was a step in the right direction.”
Tony Finau overcomes key weakness at Pebble Beach
Despite Finau’s comments, it wasn’t actually his iron play that moved the needle at all. He was the third-best player on the greens in his opening round, gaining 4.87 strokes on the field.
That allowed him to record a great score, but it could have been far better if not for one area of his game. Finau was the sixth-worst player off the tee, losing 1.21 strokes with his driver.
It’s incredibly impressive that Finau didn’t make a single bogey despite driving it so poorly, but it feels like something had to give.
Either his driving improves or his putter cools off, and which one it is will likely decide his tournament.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
