A couple of weeks ago, the vice president of a major golf company watched in awe as 17-year-old Tony Finau hit a drive some 420 yards on the 498-yard 18th hole at Glenwild Golf Club. After witnessing the incredible feat, along with Finau's tidy little 31 on the back nine, the executive nearly signed Finau right on the spot to an endorsement contract.
The same week, Michael Jordan, yes, the Michael Jordan, played a round with Tony and his younger brother, Gipper, 16, at Glenwild and was so impressed with the pair, he wanted to take their portfolio back with him the following week to show Nike executives.
Earlier in June, Lee Trevino and Jim Colbert, former Champions Tour stars who worked as commentators for the Ultimate Game in Las Vegas last month, were both wowed by Tony's play, prompting Trevino to say he'd work to find sponsor's exemptions for the Finaus on the two major tours this summer.
These are heady times for Tony, who isn't defending his Utah State Amateur crown this week, as well as Gipper, who could have been his top challenger at Thanksgiving Point Golf Course.
Instead of playing the State Am, the boys are finishing up a four-week "boot camp" as they prepare to embark on careers as professional golfers. The two brothers from Rose Park gave up their amateur status in late May, initially so they could chase a $2 million first prize at the Las Vegas tournament. Tony made the 12-man finals and pocketed $100,000, which covered the entry fees for the pair.
Tony and Gipper made the controversial decision to turn professional and not wait until after college, when they are in their 20s. It means neither can play collegiate golf — Gipper will also forgo his senior year of high school — and both will have to try to earn a living playing golf.
The boys, their agent Dieter Esch, and their parents, Gary and Ravena, are absolutely convinced that the two are headed for the PGA Tour and that it's just a matter of time before they get there. They feel the boys will be better off getting daily experience on the golf course than combining their golf with college life.
"We felt like we were ready, so why not start young?" says Tony.
Gipper calls it "perfect timing" to turn pro now.
Their father, Gary, while acknowledging it's a "50-50" proposition, says, "If you have the talent young enough, you can start early" as a professional.
Others are skeptical and wonder if they've made a bad decision that will come back to haunt them.
"It's a long-range bad thing," says Scott Whitaker, the executive director of the Utah Section PGA. "They need that college experience. I've always felt like whether it's Tony Finau or anyone else that they need the competitive atmosphere of the next level. You don't go straight to the top. Even Tiger Woods' father was smart enough to know he needed college golf."
"(Tony) is 17 years old and has a big mountain to climb," says BYU coach Bruce Brockbank, who
received a commitment from Tony in January to play for BYU. "He's a great kid and he can do it, but history shows otherwise."
The Finaus aren't going into this risky venture blindly. They know the stories about Ty Tryon, who turned pro at 16 and qualified for the PGA Tour but seven years later is struggling to make cuts on a minor golf tour. They've seen the decline of Michelle Wie, whose surefire playing career is suddenly in doubt at age 18.
Esch, the owner of the Wilhelmina Artist Management company whose clients have included Jessica and Ashlee Simpson, Fergie, Brandy and Denise Richards, as well as PGA Tour golfer Matt Kuchar, lives in Park City and heard about the Finaus about a year ago.
When the Finaus decided to turn professional, Esch was happy to sign them up as clients. He and his company, along with Molonai Hola, a relative of the Finaus who works as their business manager, put up the $100,000 for the Las Vegas tournament and are helping finance the boys' professional career.
"We have a solid financial package with the family," Esch says.
Esch prefers not to say which major companies are looking closely at the Finaus, but it's not hard to guess. Esch is very confident that the two boys will sign a substantial endorsement contract before the summer is over.
"They'll earn more from endorsements initially than from earnings," Esch says.
In the meantime, the Finau boys will attempt to play in some Nationwide and PGA Tour events. The plan is to try to qualify for the PGA Tour's U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee on July 16 and the Cox Classic Nationwide Tour event in Omaha on July 23. Depending on what happens, the pair may also try several Nationwide events in August before the Tour lands in Utah for the EnergySolutions Championship, Sept. 3-9.
Gipper already has an exemption for the tournament at Willow Creek Country Club, and tournament director Evan Byers said there's a possibility Tony could get one of the other sponsor's exemptions. If not, he'd have a good chance to earn one of the 14 spots in the qualifying tournament.
Trevino is supposedly trying to use his connections to find some sponsor's exemptions for the boys in PGA or Nationwide tour events this summer, although that's never easy.
Whitaker said the Finaus could play in some local professional tournaments such as the Utah Open, but he believes their sights are set higher.
In the fall, the Finaus are planning to try to qualify for the PGA Tour by going through the three qualifying stages.
So are the Finaus misguided, thinking they can jump onto the PGA Tour as teenagers? Some think so.
"I don't care how good you are, you don't jump out onto the Tour," says Whitaker.
An administrator with close ties to the PGA Tour, who preferred not to be identified, added, "They've got a long ways to go. It's a different game there."
However, Esch compares the Finaus to NBA stars who make the jump at a similar age. "Who's going to question whether LeBron James made the wrong decision?" he asks.
Tony points to two golfers he beat as a junior and became friends with through the Junior Ryder Cup matches — Oliver Fisher of England and Rory McIlroy of Ireland. Both turned pro at age 18 and are already making a living on the European Tour. Fisher has earned $187,000 on the European Tour and won't turn 19 until September.
Just last weekend, Jason Day, a 19-year-old from Australia, won the Nationwide Tour event in Ohio.
Then there's Jamie Lovemark, another 19-year-old, who finished second at a Nationwide Tour event in Minnesota last month and made the cut at the AT&T tournament last week. He won the NCAA tournament last month as a freshman, and if enough money is thrown at him, could turn professional before the summer is over.
Young is in.
"If you have the talent early on, it's all about experience," Gary says.
Even Brockbank acknowledges it's hard to argue that point, but he still believes some college experience is necessary.
"Having a chance to mature and grow up at college is something every kid needs, but that's a college golf coach talking," he says. "To go from junior golf to professional golf can be done. But it takes a unique individual and I hope Tony's that kid."
The professionals who played with Tony in Las Vegas were very impressed with his game but also say he and his brother won't have an easy path.
"Making the PGA Tour is the hardest thing you can imagine," says Kevin Streelman, a 28-year-old Hooters Tour regular who played with Tony on the second day in Las Vegas. "When I graduated from high school, I thought I knew how to play collegiately. I had no idea. When I graduated from college, I thought I knew how to play professionally. I had no idea. It's a long, long struggle."
Two of Tony's other playing partners were complimentary of his talents but also cautious about his future.
"He's got a lot of raw talent," says Randy Leen, a former Walker Cup player. "In a couple of years when he figures out how to hit different shots, he'll be really good. Right now he's pretty much full go."
Adds Nate Whitson, who played with Tony in the first round, "He hits it harder and farther than anyone I've ever played with. I told him, 'Go hit a thousand wedges a day and you'll make a lot of money.' He's a great kid."
If you ask the Finaus about their goals, they'll say things like "be the best player in the world" and "win more majors than anyone." Their ultimate dream is to be playing in the final twosome at the Masters with Tiger Woods and Ernie Els in the group in front of them.
They're dreaming big, but as Streelman said, it could be a long struggle.
"Over the next six months they'll be adjusting," says Esch. "They'll shoot some low numbers and they'll shoot some high numbers."
But he is convinced that the Finaus will make it professionally.
"We believe for sure and they believe for sure that the next two years are going to prove that they made the right decision," he says.
Whitaker hopes they do but has his doubts.
"They're good kids. If it works, it could be a fantastic thing," he says. "I certainly want them to succeed. But I hope they haven't made a major mistake."
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