Death, taxes and former Utah resident Tony Finau making the cut at one of golf’s major championships.
Finau, the West High graduate who lived in Lehi until moving to Scottsdale, Arizona, last year, used an eagle on his 16th hole Friday in the second round of the PGA Championship to ensure he will play this weekend at Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course in South Carolina.
Finau shot an even-par 72 Friday to go with the 74 he shot Thursday and was in the top 60 when he finished his second round early, having started his day at 5:38 a.m. MDT, and was expected to climb even higher as favorable playing conditions deteriorated.
Finau took advantage of the relatively light wind conditions early. But the breeze did pick up as the day progressed and made it more difficult for golfers with afternoon tee times.
Finau has now made the 36-hole cut for the 14th time in his last 15 majors. The next goal is to finish in the top 10, something he has done in eight of his last 12 majors. He tied for 10th at the Masters last month in Augusta, Georgia, and was fourth at the PGA last year at Harding Park GC in San Francisco.
Meanwhile, the other Utahn in the field, Syracuse teaching pro Joe Summerhays, 49, did not come close to making the cut. Making his second appearance in the PGA Championship, Summerhays carded an 84 Friday and finished at 21 over par.
Summerhays, who prepped at Wasatch High in Heber City and played collegiately at BYU, birdied holes 9 and 13, but double bogeys on 6 and 18 and a triple on 16 spoiled his day.
Starting on the back nine, Finau made nine straight pars to begin his day, and played better off the tee than he did Thursday.
On No. 1, his 10th hole, he made a 10-footer for birdie, but missed a short birdie putt on No. 2, the 543-yard par-5. He gave back the birdie with a bogey on No. 5, missing another short putt on the par-3 hole.
The eagle on No. 7 came when Finau rolled in a 15-footer. His tee shot on the 571-yard par-5 found the left rough, but he was able to hit his approach onto the green and then made the putt that pretty much ensured he’d make the cut.
Bogeys on his 17th and 18th holes, the result of poor tee and approach shots, slowed his momentum heading into Saturday’s third round.