On the sidelines of the mania, Tony Finau pieced together the day’s best round for a solo lead. At 28, Finau looks poised to factor prominently over the next five years. He hasn’t won yet on the Tour proper, though he captured the 2016 Puerto Rico Open and owns four finishes in the top 27 through seven major starts. Finau’s story began at Fox’s Ultimate Game, a $2 million winner-take-all tournament hosted by the Wynn in Las Vegas during June of 2007. Curiously little has been written about the tournament, won by current pro Scott Piercy. The original domain name has been vacant for some time. Finau was 17 then, and a sponsor staked him and his younger brother Gipper, both dominant on the Utah Junior circuit, the $50,000 entry fee. Tony played well, and turned down college basketball scholarship offers to turn pro shortly after. Finau won the Utah State Amateur earlier that year, knocking off Daniel Summerhays in the final.
