Tony Finau put it all together on Thursday’s opening round.
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Most players opted for no. Thursday 14. It is understandable: the shorter par-4 of Muirfield Village still measures 366 yards and the water watches over the front and right side of the green. Tony Finau? It hit the driver long.
That’s right: the Finau tee shot brought in 350 yards, made 373 in total and went up and down the birdie – kicking off a race of four birds in his last five holes en route to 6-under 66. , the low round of the day.
According to Finau, fans should get used to seeing him hit the long ball. During his past week, he made it clear that he was trying to get into the distance game, showing a smash that showed a ball speed of 206 mph (a 383-yard transport home to Utah). Now? He’s putting some of that speed into the game.
It’s impossible to mention the distance gains without mentioning Bryson DeChambeau, who hit two units over 400 yards on Thursday. Finau acknowledged that DeChambeau’s earnings had prompted him to chase his distance.
“Yes, it certainly inspired me,” Finau told Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis after his round. “I don’t think what he’s doing is rocket science, but it is execution at that speed. Being able to see it swing so fast and hit it so straight made me think, definitely. “
During his low week, Finau and coach Boyd Summerhays focused on speed and distance and, to quote Finau, “followed a few.” Here’s where the viral video comes from.
Now Finau says he hopes to hit tee shots in tournaments from low to mid 190 at the speed of the ball. If he can hit him straight at that speed, “it will be a huge advantage.” He has touched 190 ball speeds at least once and has been in the top 180 on many others, including the 14-tee shot, which recorded a stopwatch at 187.2 mph.
DeChambeau led the field in total driving distance, averaging 326.2 yards on all measured tee shots. But Finau wasn’t far behind – he finished second in the day at 322.9.
“I tried it out there on a couple of units and was able to run them, so I’m going to start bleeding it in my game. And why not?”
Again, it’s hard to resist falling into anything to drive for the show and put the dough on, because we should recognize that Finau’s low round had as much to do with his shorter club as he did with his longer one. He earned 4.41 shots by putting, the best on the pitch. It is more difficult to replicate.
So when will Finau decide to unleash its biggest balls?
“It depends on the hole,” said Finau. “It must be open enough to feel like I have the space to do that kind of swing. The mechanics don’t really change, it’s just hitting a little harder. “It seems simple when he says so.
One thing is certain: if Finau manages to hit him for the longest and put him in the best way, there is a good chance that we will see his name remain at the top of the ranking for the rest of the week. The distance race could be officially active.
