THREE OFF THE TEE

Was Tony Finau the actual winner of the Netflix Cup? Seriously, think about it. You’ve got to respect this man’s style. As a Nike enthusiast myself, I’m naturally biased toward any Nike athlete. But once again, Tony stood out at the Netflix Cup, narrowly missing the actual win after a closest-to-the-pin shootout. In my opinion, Tony is still the event’s winner. Let’s discuss…

First, let’s give him some props for stepping in for the injured Collin Morikawa just a week before the event. While I’d like to think Tony’s team was prepped as a reserve, compared to the outfits others sported, especially my main man Rickie Fowler, I’m not so sure Tony had much advance notice!

The moment Tony stepped up to the first tee, you knew he meant business in those Travis Scott Nike Golf shoes – absolute fire. I’m still waiting for a pair to drop below $700 on StockX so I can snag a pair for myself. But what really caught my eye, and what I can’t find on the Nike website, were those “Nike Dad” crew socks Tony wore. Pure heat. My daughter even left the hospital in a Nike onesie, so Nike, if you’re reading this, hit me up!

Moreover, it was no surprise to regular golf fans that Finau was hitting “Finbombs” as usual. Tony had Marshawn Lynch rushing over to watch his tee shots after winning the long drive contest. Joel Dahmen said it best: when Tony pulls out his driver, it looks like he’s “holding a toothpick in his hands.” Tony, not a small guy and related to former NBA player Jabari Parker, swings his driver with immense clubhead speed, a power that was fully on display.

But the biggest win of the night for Tony was his wardrobe. No, he didn’t have the Rickie Fowler style, but he had something the rest didn’t: massive guts. As the sun set over the Vegas strip and the Wynn golf course, the F1 drivers, accustomed to warmth, opted for hoodies and pullovers. So did most of the golfers, except for Rickie and Max, who both wore pants. But what about Tony? He came out in shorts (the only golfer to do so) and short sleeves and stayed that way the entire night. Tony, a Utah resident, is probably more prepared for these cooler desert temperatures than the Florida boys. As someone who would have worn pants and three pullovers, I can only tip my hat to him!

With all that said, my MVP for the Netflix Cup goes to the big dog, Tony Finau. He’s one of the nicest guys on tour, one of the best golfers, and one of my personal favorites. It still stings that he wasn’t on the Ryder Cup team, but that’s a discussion for another time.