Tony Finau came to the 3M Open having missed consecutive cuts for the first time in nearly 18 months.
After fast start, Tony Finau settles for three strokes off the pace at 3M Open
A 49-foot eagle putt was part of an opening-nine 6-under-par 30 start for Tony Finau on Thursday morning at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine.
July 27, 2023 at 7:00PM
The defending champion at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine began the day on the back nine and blitzed the field Thursday morning. Highlighted by a 49-foot eagle roll on the par-5 12th hole, Finau shot 6-under-par 30 on his opening nine and got off to a sweltering start on a humid day.
Two bogeys on his second nine, and only one birdie, left him 5-under and an opening round 66. He trailed morning-round leader Lee Hodges, who shot a 63, by three. Brandt Snedeker, Tyler Duncan and Hideki Matsuyama were all in the clubhouse at 64 as temperatures soared. Matsuyama, playing in the same threesome as Finau and Sepp Straka, was unable to hold his news conference because the heat had worn him down so. Straka, runner-up at The Open, shot an even-par 71.
Finau opened with consecutive birdies on Nos. 10 and 11 before the bomb on 12. Another birdie followed on No. 13 before a par at the difficult water-lined 14th.
After a 17-footer for birdie on No. 15 got him to 6 under, Finau made consecutive pars before coming to the behemoth par-5 18th. His tee ball found the left rough, forcing him to lay up rather than going for the green in two.
Left with 120 yards to the hole over water, Finau stuck his approach a few feet behind the flag but the ball spun back further than he'd like, leaving a 15-foot birdie putt.
He missed by about a foot and was forced to settle for a 6-under start.
Also Thursday morning, 2021 3M Open champion Cameron Champ withdrew prior to the start of his round and was replaced in the field by Chris Stroud,
Frankie Capan III, who will be playing on the PGA Tour next year, finished at 13 under par at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship.
