HOUSTON, Texas, Nov. 14, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — Tony Finau turned in a dominating performance at the Cadence Bank Houston Open, leading from start to finish for his fifth PGA Tour victory.
Finau, 33, a Salt Lake City native and former West High School golfer, finished at 16-under 264 to win by four strokes and claim his fourth PGA Tour title in the past 15 months. He earned $1.5 million and moved to No. 12 in the world rankings with the win.
“Overall, this was a special week,” Finau told reporters following his victory Sunday. “I won this golf tournament from start to finish. … To have played that well for four straight days, that’s what it’s all about. All the hard work is starting to pay off, which is fun.”
Finau, now in his ninth year on the PGA Tour, said he “felt a little off” before teeing off Sunday.
“It’s not easy sleeping on the lead, and I didn’t know if I had it in me,” he said.
Finau responded by extending his lead to eight strokes during Sunday’s final round before coasting to the four-stroke victory.
It was “probably the best driving week I’ve had in my career,” he said, adding that he was also pleased with his putting.
“It’s a lethal combo when I feel like this is the best putting week I’ve had as well, so you combine those two and you can get kind of a runaway win like I had.”
Finau said he’s been playing “good golf for a while, [but] I didn’t have a lot of wins to show for it.”
Those wins are now starting to come, with three victories in his past seven tournaments.
“I feel like I’ve been a very solid player for a long time, but it’s exciting for me that I’m getting better,” he said.
