Utah’s Tony Finau failed to make the cut at the U.S. Open for the third time in the last four years on Friday, missing it by two strokes at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Having shot a 3-over 73 in Thursday’s opening round, Finau started the second round on the 10th tee and immediately made a double bogey to make the day even more difficult. He eventually finished Friday’s round at 2-over 72 and the tournament at 5-over 145.
The cut (low 60 players, plus ties) came at +3.
Americans Collin Morikawa and Joel Dahmen share the 36-hole lead at -5, followed by Hayden Buckley, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Beau Hossler and Aaron Wise at -4.
Finau battled back to +3 with birdies on 14 and 17 and was cruising along inside the cut with eight consecutive pars after that. However, he made extremely costly bogeys on holes 8 and 9 to fall below the cut line, mostly due to poor play around and on the greens.
On the par-5 eighth, he hit a decent approach shot to the front of the green, but it rolled back some 30 feet downhill. After a couple more shaky shots, he ended up missing an 8-footer for par.
On the par-4 ninth, he 3-putted for bogey, his fifth 3-putt of the tournament.
On No. 14, his fifth hole of the day, he sank a 16-footer for birdie. On No. 17, he had a tap-in birdie after his approach from a bunker in the fairway was well above the hole, but rolled back to within 3 feet of the hole.
While the 3-putts were costly, in the end it was errant tee shots that kept the West High graduate from playing this weekend.
Finau has made the cut in only three of seven U.S. Opens since playing in his first one in 2015 and finishing in a tie for 14th at Chambers Bay in Washington. His country’s national championship has become his toughest major, after a stellar start.
He placed fifth in 2018 at Shinnecock Hills and tied for eight in 2020 at Winged Foot when the tournament was held in September due to the pandemic.
Amazingly, Finau has made the cut in the other three majors on 17 of 18 attempts.
Finau has committed to play in the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Connecticut next week.