HOUSTON — Tony Finau finished his opening round with a string of birdies, making 10 birdies to match his career low with an 8-under 62 to build a big early lead in the Houston Open.
Finau was at his best late in the round at Memorial Park by finishing with three straight birdies. His final shot from light rough left of the 18th fairway still had enough spin to check up about 4 feet from the hole.
He was at 13-under 127 and four shots clear of Patrick Rodgers (63) among early starters.
Masters champion Scottie Scheffler was among those playing late, and they were likely to see an entirely different golf course.
The forecast was for thunderstorms to arrive in the afternoon with some rain and gusty conditions, as the wind turns from out of the north and temperatures drop some 20 degrees.
Also playing late were Alex Noren and Aaron Wise, who shared the 18-hole lead with Finau.
Several tee boxes and pin positions were adjusted to account for the forecast. Finau and the other early starters had relatively calm conditions, and he knew Friday morning was the time to score. That’s just what he did.
“They set the tee boxes up to where we had to take advantage. We got the better wave,” Finau said according to AP.
“Thirty-six holes is a lot of golf left, and it’s trickier to score with a north wind. But I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
Finau has had a 62 four previous times, most recently the Canadian Open this summer.
Discussion about this post