Utah’s Tony Finau concludes the PGA Championship with his best round

Just as he did last month in the Masters, Tony Finau eagled the par-5 No. 13 in the final round of the PGA Championship in Tulsa, Okla.

The West High School graduate’s tie for 30th place at Southern Hills Country Club topped his tie for 35th at Augusta National Golf Club, as he played much better Sunday than he did to conclude the Masters. Finau’s 2-under-par 68 didn’t fully reward him for a good ball-striking day, though, as he missed five putts from about 10 feet or closer, including a 5-foot eagle try on the short par-4 No. 17. He missed a 14th career top-25 finish in major tournaments by one stroke.

Finau’s bogeys came on the par-4 Nos. 1 and 10. On each hole, he drove into the left rough, found a greenside bunker and couldn’t make a par-saving putt. He otherwise played solidly, birdieing the par-4 No. 3 with an 18-foot putt and hitting a 239-yard second shot to within 12 feet on No. 13 and converting the eagle attempt.

Finau (69-72-74-68) finished the tournament 3 over par, moving up from a tie for 45th after three rounds. In the Masters, his closing 74 basically maintained his position.

Finau is entered in this week’s Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. The next major tournament is the U.S. Open, June 16-19 at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass.

Five Utahns – Steele DeWald, Rhett Rasmnussen, Boston Bracken, Mitchell Schow and Cooper Jones – advanced from local qualifying at Riverside CC in Provo. BYU golfer Max Brenchley qualified in Arizona. They’ll play June 6 in final-stage events at various sites, hoping to join Finau in the field in Brookline.

Editor’s note • This story is available to Salt Lake Tribune subscribers only. Thank you for supporting local journalism.

from The Salt Lake Tribune https://ift.tt/lITvhZj