With Masters in mind, Tony Finau set to tackle Houston Open

HOUSTON – Tony Finau said on March 25 that he is focused on the task at hand – which is continuing his success at the Houston Open.

After all, the American won the event in 2022 and finished tied as a runner-up in 2024.

This week, Finau will look to record another strong showing at Memorial Park Golf Course while also fine-tuning his game with the Masters fast approaching.

“Anybody that asks me about my schedule, I always make sure they know I’m playing Houston and it’s a good golf course,” he said.

“I don’t think that there’s a better prep golf course leading up to the Masters than Memorial Park. It’s a big golf course. I think they try to set it up where it’s similar to Augusta National maybe to have guys play. I know that was the case many years ago when it was at other golf courses.

“I don’t think that there’s a better course to prepare for something like Augusta National than here.”

Two-time Masters winner Scottie Scheffler ended up tied with Finau in 2024 in Houston, one stroke behind German winner Stephan Jager. Finau and Jager will be paired with Thomas Detry of Belgium for the first two rounds.

Finau, 35, reiterated that the look of Memorial Park Golf Course is appealing to him.

“I think as a golfer, a lot of us are very visual players and there’s certain golf courses that just look good to our eyes compared to others. I would say this is one that for me to me looks pretty good to our eyes so I’m able to play it consistently, at least over the last couple years,” he said.

“And then having won somewhere, I think that gives you the extra confidence that you need to know that you’ve done it on this golf course before and no matter your form, this is a place that you’ve won and you should play well at.”

Finau is ranked No. 32 in the world. He has six career wins on the PGA Tour, most recently the 2023 Mexico Open.

While he is no stranger to the golf course, he is also going to be seen in a different sport on March 28. He is scheduled to throw out the first pitch prior to the Major League Baseball game between the Houston Astros and the visiting New York Mets.

“This will be my first, first pitch I’ll be throwing out on Friday, so I look forward to it,” he added. “I haven’t held a baseball in years, so maybe I should practise over the next couple days.

“My goal is to not throw it in the dirt. That’s pretty much all my friends have told me... if you throw it in the dirt, you’ll never hear the end of it, so I’m going high and hard. We’ll give it a shot on Friday. I’m really looking forward to that and happy the Astros asked me to do that.” REUTERS