FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — After several strong finishes in major golf tournaments, Utah’s Tony Finau finally had an off day Sunday in the final round of the PGA Championship at Bethpage Black Golf Course on Long Island.
Finau fired a 9-over-par 79, including a 43 on the final nine to finish clear back in a tie for 64th place at 291 as he dropped 38 spots in the standings. It was the worst round for Finau since he shot a final-round 79 in the BMW Championship in September of 2016.
If Finau had matched playing partner Rory McIlroy, who shot a 69 Sunday, he would have garnered his fifth top-10 finish in his last six majors as McIlroy finished in a tie for eighth place.
Finau started off decently enough, playing the front nine in just 1-over 36 with a lone bogey at No. 5. However, on the back nine, he bogeyed holes 10, 11, 12 and 14 with a double-bogey at the par-5 13th, which he had eagled the day before. He didn’t hit the green until his fourth shot and then 3-putted from 15 feet away.
Then to close off his round, he made bogeys at 16 and 18. Finau’s driving accuracy was off all week and he only hit five of 14 greens Sunday and averaged 39.3% of hit fairways for the week.