Tony Finau Selected To Play On First Day Of Presidents Cup
Dec 11, 2019, 3:47 PM | Updated: 4:19 pm
Tony Finau of the United States team practices ahead of the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Course on December 11, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
(Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The thirteenth Presidents Cup is set to get underway ”down under” in Melbourne, Australia later this afternoon.
At 10 p.m. last night, Tiger Woods and Ernie Els, the captains of the USA and International Teams respectively, made their pairing decisions for the first day of play.
Utah native and Presidents Cup rookie, Tony Finau, will make his debut on the President Cup stage during the first day after he was selected by Woods to compete in the third match alongside USA teammate Bryson Dechambeau. The Finau, Dechambeau pairing will take on Australian Adam Scott and South Korean An Byeong-hun in a four-ball format.
Four-ball, which is also known as ‘best-ball’ requires every golfer to play his or her own ball, the team’s score on each hole is the lower of the two players’ scores. The winners are the team with the lowest aggregate score over 18 holes.
Finau, 30, has never played in a Presidents Cup before. However, was the first call captain Tiger Woods made when deciding his four captains’ picks.
“Making the team was a goal of mine to start the seasons and I know I wanted to just have the opportunity to play, and play for Tiger,” Finau said.
Following a 2019 campaign that ended with him being ranked as the sixteenth best player in the world, that included two-second place finishes on the PGA Tour as well as a third-place finish at The Open. Finau has been striking the ball well and is full of confidence prior to the Presidents Cup.
The Presidents Cup will take place at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club, a venue that has held two previous Presidents Cup. A fast, dry track with slippery greens will pose many problems for all competitors.
History In Favor Of The USA
It has been a one-sided affair since the inaugural Presidents Cup in 1994 with team USA winning every event with the exception of 1998 when International captain, Peter Thomson, got the better of the USA under the leadership of Jack Nicklaus. The 1998 Presidents Cup was also held at The Royal Melbourne Golf Course, the same venue of this week.
