HOUSTON — Tony Finau wanted to close his big year in a big manner, so he waited and delivered late birdies for a 5-under 65. This gave him a share in the Cadence Bank Houston Open lead. Finau made a 60-foot birdie putt at the par-3 2nd hole to begin a string of four birdies in five holes. He tied for first place with Alex Noren from Sweden and Aaron Wise, who were both bogey-free. Finau could use a big week to secure a spot among the top 50 players in the world to try to win a Masters invitation. Tyson Alexander was also at 5-under. He drove into the left rough after the first round was stopped by darkness. Alexander decided not to finish his round. He will finish the 18th round on Friday morning, before beginning his second round. At 66, there was a large group that included Mackenzie Hughes from Canada and Keith Mitchell. Mitchell was in the lead before his second shot into the par-5 16th hole went into the water. This led to bogey. Finau was able to win consecutive starts in Minnesota and Detroit this summer, his first season with multiple wins. Finau missed the Mayakoba cut and didn’t fare too well at Memorial Park. He knew that the course was challenging from tee to green, but he wasn’t able to make it. Finau stated, “I knew the course — it was a difficult golf course to play.” You have to drive the ball in the fairway, otherwise your work is not finished. It is difficult to hit the greens. It’s difficult to hit the green if you miss it. I tried patience with myself. “I made a few bombs, that opened it up,” he said. The largest was on No. He added another birdie on the par-5 3rd with a breeze in his face. He putted a wedge at 4 feet on No. 5, and then he holed a birdie par putt from 12 yards on the next hole. Finau finished the round with a bang by hitting a 35-foot putt at the par-3 ninth. Finau is now No. His big run through late August and early July has landed Finau at No. 15 in the world rankings. TOUR will be playing in two tournaments this year, before returning to Kapalua for the season the first week of February. Finau stated that while the season this year was enjoyable, he wanted to end it in a positive way. “And that’s what’s my goal this week,” Finau said. The top 50 players in the world at the end the year usually get Masters invitations. Noren was a runner up in the Dunhill Links in Scotland. He was No. He was 50, and knew that he had a lot of work ahead. Noren finished 42nd at Mayakoba last week. The course was tight through the mangroves and required more precision than power. Noren also played a great wedge game. Memorial Park is home to a lot more beef. Noren was unsure what to expect from his game. “Last week was medium to short, with a lot more wedges than you need to hit. Noren stated that this course is longer and requires you to hit fairways as well as greens. “So I was nervous going into today. I didn’t feel great in practice but found something that helped and felt a lot better. Overall, I would have taken 65.” Wise made four consecutive birdies on the front nine. He also played bogey free. The AT&T Byron Nelson in Dallas was his only win on the PGA TOUR. Are there any other titles in Texas? Wise stated, “It would have been great.” “I don’t want to win them all, but I’ll take two in Texas.” Memorial Park was full of bite. Masters champion Scottie Scheffler was 4 under through 10 holes when he saved a solid round with four birdies for a 70. Scheffler can regain No. Scheffler can regain the No. 1 ranking in the world with a win. Sam Burns was not so lucky. He had seven pars and eight bogeys before he made his first birdie at the par-5 16th. He finished with a 77.
Title: Tony Finau shares lead at Cadence Bank Houston Open
Sourced From: www.pgatour.com/daily-wrapup/2022/11/10/tony-finau-shares-lead-at-cadence-bank-houston-open.html
Published Date: Thu, 10 Nov 2022 19:54:00 -0500
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