GOLF

Tony Finau Under Par Midway Through The Opening Round At The Open

Jul 15, 2021, 8:37 AM

Tony Finau tees off...

Tony Finau of the United States plays his shot from the first tee during Day One of The 149th Open at Royal St George’s Golf Club on July 15, 2021 in Sandwich, England. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)

(Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Tony Finau has made the turn at Royal St. George’s at one-under-par, five shots back from the leader Louis Oosthuizen who is in the clubhouse at six-under-par.

Finau’s opening nine holes consisted of eight pars and a lone birdie on the par 3 3rd.

Finau has been hitting fairways at 57 percent through the first nine holes. The field average is 51 percent. Interestingly, despite hitting less than 60 percent of fairways, Finau is knocking the ball onto the greens in regulation 67 percent of the time.

His ability to move the ball out of the first cut and rough has allowed him to be more aggressive through the first nine holes. Most players have a difficult time advancing the ball in the Royal St. George’s rough that has not been cut since May, but Finau has begun his campaign showing no signs of concern.

Finau has also started well with the putter, the club that has historically given him issues over the years as he is averaging 1.56 putts per green.

The 149th Open Championship marks the fifth appearance at the event for Finau. His best finish came in 2019 when he ended in third at Royal Portrush.

Broadcast Info

Finau is not a member of a featured group this week and will therefore be difficult to watch throughout the opening two rounds. Although, the higher Finau climbs the leaderboard the more likely fans are to see him on the television.

The Golf Channel, Peacock, and NBC over the weekend will all air the broadcast depending on the time of day. Peacock goes live at midnight through 7 a.m., the Golf Channel takes over proceedings at 7 a.m.

Over the weekend, NBC will handle the majority of the coverage.

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Tony Finau Under Par Midway Through The Opening Round At The Open