Utah’s Tony Finau was cruising along nicely at Augusta National Golf Club in the first round of the 89th Masters on Thursday, stringing together six straight pars on a beautiful day in central Georgia.
Then disaster struck.
Finau’s tee shot on the par-3 16th hole bounced a couple times and then trickled into the pond on the left side of the green. The former Salt Lake City resident took a double-bogey on the hole, then made a bogey on the par-4 17th by three-putting that treacherous hole.
He had a chance to recover on No. 18, sticking his approach to within 7 feet of the pin. However, his birdie putt slid past the hole, and Finau finished at 3-over 75 and well down the leaderboard in his eighth Masters start.
The 35-year-old father of six will have to get it turned around in Friday’s second round if he hopes to avoid missing the cut for the first time ever in the Masters. He will tee off at 11:45 a.m. MDT Friday with the same group — Maverick McNealy of the United States and Thomas Detry of Belgium.
Meanwhile, former BYU golfer Mike Weir, the 2003 Masters champion, also posted a 3-over 75 on Thursday in his 26th Masters start. A 3-foot birdie putt on No. 10 got Weir to +1, but the Canadian bogeyed No. 11 and No. 18 to finish at 75.
Weir, 54, goes off at 9:10 a.m. Friday with Michael Kim and Cameron Young. Weir is trying to make the cut at Augusta National for the first time since 2020, when he tied for 51st.
As for Finau, an up-and-down year continued, as he made the turn at even par, thanks to a 7-foot birdie putt on No. 9, but then struggled down the stretch.
Finau hit 13 of 18 greens and 11 of 14 fairways. He birdied only one of Augusta’s par-5s, the 585-yard second hole.
England’s Justin Rose, 44, was the early leader, sitting at 8-under through 16 holes.
Defending champion Scottie Scheffler had one of the early tee times Thursday and fired a bogey-free round of 68, with birdies on holes 2, 4, 8 and 16.
Finau and Weir were in a group tied for 65th at 3 p.m. MDT with about 40 golfers still on the course. The low 50 players, plus ties, will make the cut and qualify to play on the weekend.
