Tony Finau ties course report as defending champ leads in Houston once more

SALT LAKE CITY — If there is a shot that might have made a powerful day right into a historic one, Tony Finau is aware of precisely which one that might be from Friday’s second spherical on the Texas Youngsters’s Houston Open.

The six-time PGA Tour champion from Rose Park practically broke the course report on the beloved public hyperlinks that staged the Houston Open, the place Finau gained 16 months in the past however needed to wait as lengthy to defend his title as a result of the occasion moved from the autumn portion of the PGA Tour calendar to the spring.

However after carding a mildly disappointing 69 in Thursday’s opening spherical, Finau rebounded remarkably, tying a profession low with an 8-under-par 62 to take a three-shot lead atop the leaderboard into the weekend at Memorial Park golf course.

After teeing off on No. 10, the 6-foot-4 lengthy driver fired a torrid stretch on his again 9, enjoying Nos. 3-8 at 6-under that included a chip-in eagle on the par-5, 601-yard eighth, in response to the Related Press.

The West Excessive graduate then had a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-3 ninth, however simply missed earlier than taking par to clinch the sixth time in his profession that he is shot 62 — together with final yr’s Houston Open.

“I knew I used to be going to offer it a run, I wasn’t going to depart it brief, I knew that,” Finau stated of the putt that would have given him a career-best 61. “I hit putt and it was barely too low. I assumed I hit it laborious sufficient for it to remain on the road that it did.”

Finau’s two-day complete of 9-under 131 is three photographs higher than Germany’s Thomas Detry and Argentina’s Alejandro Tosti — who tied for second — and 4 past World Golf No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.

Finau gained greater than 5 strokes from tee-to-green, and practically 4 strokes from placing, the first player on the PGA Tour this season with such a one-day improvement.

“I did not fairly see a 62 on the market,” stated Sahith Theegala, who performs out of the Houston space, “in order that’s one the place you’re taking your hat off and shake Tony’s hand; that is a hell of a spherical.”

As quickly as Finau turned in his scorecard following Thursday’s opening spherical, the Salt Lake Metropolis native ventured to the placing inexperienced, the place he met his swing coach Boyd Summerhays. Finau has additionally been testing a brand new driver, one that provides him extra spin and is “a bit of bit much less tip stiff” than his earlier one.

“It is good to have my coach out right here,” he stated of Summerhays. “He observed a bit of setup change that he talked about which may assist. I might say it positively helped as we speak.”

Former BYU golfers Patrick Fishburn and Zac Blair each missed the reduce Friday. Blair, who prepped at Fremont Excessive and lately gained the Utah Open to restart his sport following double shoulder surgical procedure, carded back-to-back 73s to complete at 6-over 151.

Fishburn — the opposite Fremont Excessive alum within the discipline — carded a pair of 71s, completed tied for 84th and lacking the reduce by one stroke at 2-over 142.