Tony Finau is one of the players waiting to find out whether he is going to get a captain’s pick from Jim Furyk which sees him involved at the Presidents Cup later this month.
Tony Finau is arguably in a good position to receive a captain’s pick for the Presidents Cup, with the 34-year-old eighth on the standings after a year in which he has finished in the top 10 on five occasions.
Of course, Finau is no stranger to representing his country, having made two appearances in both the Presidents Cup and the Ryder Cup, winning seven and a half points across those four events. And it would undoubtedly be a massive call from Furyk to overlook the eighth best player in the standings.
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Speaking on The Smylie Show, Smylie Kaufman has backed Finau to receive a pick from Furyk ahead of Royal Montreal, as the USA look to continue their amazing record in the event.
One big concern about Tony Finau ahead of the Presidents Cup
However, he expressed one big worry about Finau’s game, which may make his pick not as much of a lock as some would perhaps expect.
“I think Tony Finau is where I lean, I think his ball striking, his ability to be a fantastic iron player, I’m really concerned about his putting, I think that’s an aspect in these competitions, you’ve got to be able to make putts,” he said.
“I’m a little worried about that, but I love the fact that Tony Finau, in a best ball format, if you’ve ever played at home in best ball and you get in a two versus two, you always like to have guys that are closer than the other guys, and Tony Finau does that better than anybody. So I think Tony Finau gets a pick.”
The other worry as Jim Furyk considers potential pairings
Finau’s putting statistics are definitely going to be a problem for Furyk, as he sits 138th on the PGA Tour this season for strokes gained with the flat stick. To put that into context, Scottie Scheffler is 69th in that same category in what appears to be, by far, the biggest weakness in his game.
There is also an interesting factor Furyk may want to consider, as many of his captain’s picks are likely to be made with potential pairings in mind. One of the reasons Sam Burns is even more likely to make the team is the fact that he is so close with Scheffler.
Finau is clearly a very popular figure, but there is a very good chance that he would have no choice but to play with someone new if he makes this team. Across his Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup career, he has been paired with Max Homa, Kevin Kisner, Bryson DeChambeau, Matt Kuchar, Brooks Koepka and Harris English.
Of those names, only Homa and English are in the top 25 positions in the qualification standings. Homa is in no form at all right now, while English is down in 25th, so Furyk is highly likely to be without both men in Canada.
That is not necessarily a reason not to pick Finau, but it does show that there is not the proven pairing which boosts his hopes of making the team.
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