“I let it go a little so far this week, and it was fun enough for me to go back more than it has in the past and somehow open up and hit some of it,” he added. “I never go out 100 percent when I play golf tournaments, but I would say this is the first time I have had about 90 percent in these first two days. I rarely swing even more than 80, 85 percent because I don’t feel to have enough control over the golf ball.
“But after spending some more time on that part of my game last week with my coach, I decided to let some fly in these first two days, and it was fun enough for the most part and going enough straight ahead.”
Finau says it is not rocket science; it is simply swinging harder. But he is still trying to find the weak point of speed and precision. He hit only five of the 14 fairways in the first round and six in the second round, but was the second on the field in Strokes Gained: Off-the-T in the opening round and has earned over two and a half shots on the field so far through the opening two rounds.
“I have so much in the tank that I leave out. The result for me to try to hit him further is that my swing is just a little further back, “he explained.” It’s not something I think about; it’s just something that happens when I try to hit it harder. I’m just on it and I say I will hit him a little harder.
“I’m still understanding it. I don’t know the exact balance. But the good thing is that I have that extra in the tank when I need it on some holes. To fly a bunker in a handful of these holes, I have to somehow go back and give it that little bit extra. So it’s nice to have it in the tank, but it’s definitely a balance, don’t overdo it and lose that precision. “
While his social media accounts warned his speed, they also showed that his shape on arriving at Muirfield Village was quite decent. Last Friday, Finau and her coach played a game at the Victory Ranch Golf Club in Park City, Utah, where she lives with their children.
Finau shot at 59, breaking the 62-point old record he had previously set, and shared it online. It could have been even better since he had 14 under the par-72 layout across 16 holes before a bogey on par-3 of the 250-yard 17.
“He just told me how good I am at scoring the golf ball. I don’t know how many times I have been between 14 and 16 holes on a good golf course. But he said I was in good shape, “Finau smiled as he remembered the day.
“I definitely brought some of this over the course of this week, and that confidence I think is pretty interesting. It’s only the second time I’ve been around in the 50s, so it was fun enough to have my boyfriend there and a little bit of the his crew with me. “
Finau is chasing his second win in the PGA TOUR after winning the 2016 Puerto Rico Open. He has had six runners-up and two thirds since that win. If he wins at Jack’s Place, don’t be surprised to see some other TOUR player start looking for more speed.
