Tony Finau dearly wanted to win the Waste Management Phoenix Open, but anyone who expected him to be angry or despondent that he came up short Sunday at TPC Scottsdale doesn’t know him very well.
Finau led by 2 shots with two holes to play and lost in playoff to Webb Simpson, which is the same thing that happened to Rickie Fowler in 2016.
That loss left Fowler in tears but Finau took his near-miss as a positive sign.
“I learned that my game is in a great place early in the season,” he said. “I feel good. I had a chance, a great chance to win this week. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen, but my game’s better than it’s ever been.
“And if you know anything about me, I’ll persevere through anything. I’ll knock it off soon and I’ll be on my way.”
What made it easier to take was his close friendship with Simpson.
MORE: Scores | Photos | Trophies | Money | Winner’s bag
“I love that guy and that’s one hell of a finish,” he said of Simpson making birdies on his last two holes of regulation and the first playoff hole. “He’s a great champion and hats off to him. I’m a huge fan. He’s one of my best friends out here, and I love that guy.”
Finau recently moved his family to Scottsdale from his native Utah, and Sunday marked the third time that a Valley resident has come up short in a playoff at TPC Scottsdale, joining Billy Mayfair and Chez Reavie, who grew up in the Valley.
Mayfair lost in a playoff to Vijay Singh in 1995 and Reavie was edged by Gary Woodland in 2018.
This event has been won nine times by Valley residents, including three by Mark Calcavecchia. One of Phil Mickelson’s three victories came when he lived in the Valley.
Tom Purtzer was the first Valley resident to claim the title, when the Open was played at Phoenix Country Club, in 1984. Other local winners were Steve Jones, Tom Lehman, Jonathan Kaye and Aaron Baddeley.
The ‘next’ Phil?
Jon Rahm has made it clear in the past that he doesn’t like being called “the next Seve,” in comparison to the late Seve Ballesteros, who came from the same area of Spain where Rahm grew up and was his idol.
But if fans at the Open want to consider him “the next Phil,” he is just fine with being compared to fellow Arizona State alumnus Mickelson.
“I hope I am,” Rahm said after completing the final round Sunday. “Every time Phil plays here, I am completely overshadowed and I’m OK with that, but with him not being here this year, I guess was kind of the guy, which is fine.”
Rahm, who could have climbed to the No. 1 ranking in the world with a win this week, closed with a score of 70 and broke par all four days of the event to finish at 11-under, which was tied for ninth, 6 shots off the lead.
“(I played) great tee to green but can’t make a putt to save my life, simple as that,” he said. “I don’t know if it was misreads or mis-hits with the putter, but it led to frustration, and affected the rest of the game the last two days.”
Mickelson has played in this event 30 times, winning it three times, and clearly became the people’s choice, particularly with ASU fans. This year, he decided instead to play in the Saudi International in Saudi Arabia.
His 16 tournament titles are the most in ASU golf history and Rahm is second on that list with 11. Both golfers played in the Open for the first time as amateurs on sponsor exemptions. Mickelson is credited with helping attract the largest crowds in golf at this event.
“It’s fun, so I hope I’m next in line for that,” Rahm said of the comparison. “When you can feed off the crowd, you can use it to your advantage.”
[lawrence-related id=778024236,778024164,778024075]