Utah’s Tony Finau is around the top 10 again in the Masters

Tony Finau’s first round of the 2022 Masters went well Thursday, as long as his golf ball kept moving forward.

The West High School graduate posted a 1-under-par 71 to put himself in position for at least a fourth top-10 finish in five appearances at Augusta National Golf Club.

Sandy resident Mike Weir, playing in his 23rd consecutive Masters at age 51, shot a 74 and has a decent chance to make the 36-hole cut to 50 players (plus ties) for only the second time since 2015.

(David J. Phillip | AP) Sandy resident Mike Weir hits to the second green during the first round at the Masters golf tournament on Thursday, April 7, 2022, in Augusta, Ga. (David J. Phillip/)

Finau played the par-5 holes in 3 under par, the par-3s in 3 over and the par-4s in 1 under — thanks to an approach shot to 4 feet on No. 17.

He double-bogeyed No. 4 after his tee shot went into the gallery on the left side and the ball rolled backward down a path and into the trees, forcing a punch-out short of the green. On No. 12, his ball landed on the bank and rolled down into the water, although he salvaged a bogey with an excellent pitch shot.

Finau’s second shot on the par-5 No. 15 luckily stayed on the bank above the water. He then chipped to 11 feet and made the birdie putt. He two-putted for birdies on the first two par-5s, Nos. 2 and 8, and settled for a par after a drive into the trees on No. 13.

Plagued by poor putting in the first half of the 2021-22 PGA Tour season, Finau missed two birdie opportunities from within 9 feet Thursday. But that’s not unreasonable on Augusta National’s tricky greens, and his lag putting was outstanding. “Three-putt avoidance is a huge stat that’s overlooked this week because of the way the greens are,” Finau had said Wednesday.

Weir double-bogeyed No. 1 when he missed the green with his long approach shot and three-putted from 14 feet. “But the rest of the day, I played fine,” he said, after making two birdies and two bogeys.

He birdied the par-4 No. 3 after hitting a fairway-bunker shot to 7 feet and made a 10-foot birdie putt on No. 12. Weir bogeyed Nos. 11 and 16, but was more disappointed about failing to birdie any par-5s.

“For me to score well around here, I have to convert my wedges, and I didn’t do that today,” he said.

Weir will tee off Friday at 9:18 a.m. MDT; Finau is in the last threesome of the day, starting at 12:03 p.m.

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