Tony Finau finishes a shot wanting repeat Houston Open title

SALT LAKE CITY — Tony Finau knew the exact second that value him contending for a repeating title on the Texas Youngsters’s Houston Open shortly after he got here into the clubhouse on Easter Sunday.

Placing himself in place to contend was simply sufficient.

Finau carded six birdies with two bogeys in Sunday’s closing spherical, vaulting him inside one shot earlier than the defending champion fell simply wanting his seventh PGA Tour victory at Memorial Park.

The Rose Park native carded back-to-back birdies to finish each the back and front 9 on his spherical. However a slip on the par-5 sixteenth gap is what Finau was interested by following his spherical.

“It was good to complete the best way I did,” he mentioned. “Missed a brief one on 16 that hopefully’s not going to value me the match. Nonetheless a little bit bit shaken by that, however general it was a very nice week as I look ahead to taking part in Augusta Nationwide.”

Stephan Jaeger held on for a four-day whole of 12-under-par 268, capturing 3-under 67 within the closing spherical to clinch the 34-year-old German-born golfer’s first tour win in 135 begins Sunday.

“The final couple of days was such a blast,” Jaeger instructed NBC after his spherical. “I simply tried to remain inside myself, tried to make some putts, attempt to make some birdies. Birdies type of eluded me on the again 9 there … however I am tremendous blissful, clearly, with immediately.”

Finau completed in a five-way tie for second with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Argentina’s Alejandro Tosti, Belgium’s Thomas Detry and American Taylor Moore.

Finau tied a course report after capturing 8-under 62 Friday to take the lead into the weekend. However the father of 5 who owns a house in Lehi shot 72 to fall again of a pack that included Sheffler, Jaeger, Detry, Tosti and David Skinns in a five-way tie for first following an eventful transferring day.

Finau, who opened the weekend with a two-shot lead, did not make a birdie till the thirteenth gap of a blustery day Saturday. However he was nonetheless simply two pictures again earlier than Sunday’s finale.

As a substitute, Sunday marked the thirty second top-five end of Finau’s PGA Tour profession and the eleventh time he is been runner-up as he appears to be like towards The Masters, starting April 11 in Augusta, Georgia.

That is a very powerful date on Finau’s calendar as he appears to be like for a primary main title.

“I drove it actually properly this week, that is big at Augusta Nationwide. If I am driving it lengthy and straight round that place, it turns into very scorable,” Finau mentioned. “That is going to be an enormous weapon for me if I wish to win the Masters. I used to be very proud of that. However all elements of the sport, it is good to have end. That is what I used to be searching for this week. I did not have a few of my greatest outcomes, I felt like I used to be placing some good work in over the previous month and never getting good outcomes out of it, so it is good to get a pleasant outcome after a strong week.”

Two wins 16 months aside in Houston would’ve been good for Finau. However merely getting again into competition will enhance his confidence, he admitted.

“A win would have been good this week, however simply to place your self in competition, really feel the nerves, I feel that is necessary main as much as a giant match,” Finau mentioned.