Latter-day Saint Tony Finau’s golf game and fame are on fire. For the second weekend in a row, Finau walked away with a PGA Tour title—the 3M Open in Minnesota on July 24 and the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit on July 31—making him the first player this season to achieve back-to-back wins. He also broke the tournament scoring record in the Rocket Mortgage Classic by finishing 26 under par. Finau has now captured three PGA Tour Titles in just under a year, including last year’s 2021 Northern Trust win.
According to PGATour.com, the Rocket Mortgage Classic was also the first time his wife and their five kids had been on site to see him win. Finau’s 10-year-old son Jraice is also a golfer, and in a video interview after his victory, Finau got emotional dedicating the win to his son.
“It means everything to me that my kids can watch me, not only fail, but they watch me win as well. And that’s what it takes to be a champion.”
"It means everything to me that my kids can watch me ... "@TonyFinauGolf gets emotional after his win @RocketClassic. pic.twitter.com/DyBmEwqDOG
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 31, 2022
As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Finau is certainly setting an example of the importance of hard work, integrity, faith, and family in the sports world. His Instagram bio reads, “PGA Tour player, food lover, husband, and father. Member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“It’s a huge part of who I am, and I’m never ashamed of it or afraid to proclaim it,” Finau told Church News in 2018. “I’m proud to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ... Everything I do is deeply rooted in my faith and especially in Jesus Christ. I find that my upbringing in the Church and my relationship with God are huge benefits to me in helping me become the kind of person that I want to become.”
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In a 2020 podcast interview on The Erik Anders Lang Show, Finau shared that when it comes to his golf game, he doesn’t have any rituals before playing, but he always makes a point to pray in the morning.
“The only thing that I do is I pray. I say my prayers in the morning before I play, and don’t really ask for success or anything. I think I have a grateful heart to be in the position that I am, and I want to make sure that God knows that,” he said.
When he arrived back in Salt Lake City after his Rocket Mortgage Classic victory, he was greeted by a huge crowd of family members and friends.
This is now a Finau family fan account, per a source pic.twitter.com/2uZplz9CDv
— claire rogers (@kclairerogers) August 1, 2022
To hear more from Finau about his humble beginnings and his goal to be a representative of Jesus Christ both on and off the golf course, you can listen to his 2021 interview on “All In” in the player below.
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