From the start of the 2022 Rocket Mortgage Classic, any thought of a Tony Finau hangover was put to bed. After winning the 3M Open last week in convincing fashion, the American did it again at Detroit Golf Club, posting rounds of 64-66-65-67 en route to his fourth PGA Tour victory and his third in less than a year.
Despite becoming the first player since Brendan Todd in 2019 to win in back-to-back weeks during the regular season, the two wins couldn’t have been more different. Benefiting from Scott Pearcy’s collapse at TPC Twin Cities, Finau’s nine-over-the-back nine, combined with a little luck, was enough to propel him into the winner’s circle in Minnesota at 26 under par.
There was nothing lucky about his record-breaking performance in Detroit. Every aspect of his game was working hard and it wasn’t until the 11th hole on Sunday that the President’s Cup hopeful had his first scare of the week. Going 64 holes without missing a shot, Finau’s steady hand suffocated the field as every misstep by his competitors was multiplied by ten.
With a chasing pack consisting of the likes of Patrick Cantlay and Cameron Young to start the final round, it’s safe to assume that an earlier version of Finau would have felt the heat. Still, as we saw with Xander Schauffele earlier this summer, it’s amazing how just a few weeks can change our perception of a player.
Many have been waiting for Finau to reveal his full potential and this week may have been just that as he reached 26 under 26s. When he does it on the greens, he can make the game as easy and stress-free as anyone on Tour.
Youth is the name of the game these days. Every season a fresh new face comes on the scene and is without a hint of nerves on golf’s biggest stage. There’s Scotty Scheffler, Colin Morikawa, Will Zalatoris, and Cameron Young to name a few, and that basically makes the window for those on the wrong side of 30 a lot shorter.
Although his win at the Rocket Mortgage Classic marked the end of his 2021-22 regular season, with it came the beginning of the next chapter in Finau’s career. Career of a winner. Last week there was talk of a Cantlay-like playoff from last year, but why stop there. His two wins came in two of the weaker fields in 2022, but given his ability to soar in major championships, should anyone be surprised if Finau can carry that momentum into 2023. and seriously threaten a certain green jacket in April. Grade: A+
Here’s a breakdown of the rest of the rankings for the 2022 Rocket Mortgage Classic
T2. Taylor Pendrith (-21): Unfortunately for the 31-year-old rookie, nerves were there early and often on Sunday. Never looking comfortable in the final round, Pendrith turned over even par as he failed to convert birdie opportunities on any of the par 5s. Trailing Finau by two strokes, the driver continued to pass the Canadian as he battled a two-way pass. In what was just his third start since returning from a rib injury, Pendrith impressed to record his fourth straight top-15 finish dating back to the Players Championship. He made mincemeat of those short pitches in his rookie campaign and should always be considered at those 7,200-yard-sized spots going forward. Degree: A
T2. Patrick Cantlay (-21): One of the bigger surprises of this season is the fact that Cantlay remains without a solo win. He started the final round a little too far behind Pendrith and Finau as he was slow out of the gates on Thursday with a 2-under 70. Still, his performance at the Rocket Mortgage Classic marked another close encounter as the reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year now has 10 ranked top 10 finishes – two of which he lost in the playoffs – in just 16 starts. He heads into the FedEx Cup Playoffs in good position to defend his crown, but will need to recreate last year’s postseason magic to capture the Tour Championship’s biggest haul of the year. Grade: A-
T2. Cameron Young (-21): The likely PGA Tour Rookie of the Year found himself in a familiar position on Sunday. Trailing the two co-leaders by four shots, Young couldn’t get going in his final round of The Open and instead stalled for most of his round and ended up posting a 4-under 68. Although he didn’t to threaten to lead off, he once again played himself on the front page of the leaderboard, as he has done with impressive regularity throughout his rookie season. In total, he already has seven podium finishes and conventional wisdom suggests that a breakthrough victory is just around the corner. Grade: A-
T20. Will Zalatoris (-13): Another week goes by in which Zalatoris remains without his first PGA Tour win. After signing for rounds of 70-71 and making the cut, the Wake Forest product found his game over the weekend and climbed into the top 20 thanks to rounds of 69-65. As it stands, Zalatoris is scheduled to play in the Wyndham Championship, and perhaps his return to North Carolina State will propel him into the winner’s circle. He will need to improve on and around the green, as he ranked outside the top 50 in both short game metrics and wasted a great ball display in doing so. Degree: B
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