American Express – Tony Finau Caught Fireplace Throughout First Spherical Of The American Express

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Tony Finau strung six consecutive birdies collectively to assist catapult his identify up the leaderboard following the primary spherical of The American Express.

He enters the second spherical in a tie for seventh after a four-under-par spherical of 68.

“The par 3’s are real tough,” Tony mentioned instantly following the conclusion of his spherical. “The wind started to pick up on the back nine, just enough to make you think down the stretch. You have got to hit quality shots if you want to make birdies down the stretch, so, even though I was one-over on our last few it wasn’t a bad finish.”

Finau’s spherical started with 5 consecutive pars earlier than his first bogey fell on the par three sixth gap following a tee shot that discovered the water.

Nonetheless, six consecutive birdies dropped for Finau between holes 7 and 12, he caught a heater and was making the whole lot. All through the stretch, Finau was peppering the flag regardless of lacking a number of fairways. On the par 5 eighth gap, Finau missed the golf green vast proper however recovered with an attractive strategy that left him with a 12 foot likelihood at eagle.

Then, Finau discovered a fairway bunker on the 10th gap to depart him with 170 yards to the pin. He caught his strategy out of the sand to 4 toes.

On the par 5, 16th, after discovering the golf green off the tee, Finau’s second shot rattled the cart path up the correct facet of the opening. A lovely use of his palms on the third shot left him with 10 toes for birdie, he would end the opening with par.

The seventeenth gap performed as the toughest gap on the course with gamers struggling to combat the winds as they tried to regulate the ball onto an island inexperienced. A number of gamers discovered the water and extra gamers discovered the rocks that surrounded the inexperienced. Finau hit his shot brief, however protected and would proceed to make par.

Finau concluded his spherical in disappointing vogue after a three-putt bogey on 18 left the Utah native with a bitter style in his mouth getting into Friday.

Finau discovered the golf green on 90 p.c of his photographs off the tee, whereas additionally with the ability to make the inexperienced in regulation 78 p.c of the time. Sadly, Finau’s putter let him down as he succumbed to 1.7 putts per inexperienced which ranks him 66th compared to the remainder of the sphere.

Finau performed alongside Kevin Na and Mathew Wolff on the Stadium Course at PGA West. Tomorrow, the threesome will tackle the Nicklaus Course with their tee time scheduled for 10:40 a.m.

The American Express Leaderboard

1. Brandon Hagy -8
2. Byeong Hun An -7
3. Si Woo Kim -6
4. Martin Laird -6
5. Max Homa -6
6. Roger Sloan -6