Tony Finau Shines In Final Round, Wins Rocket Mortgage Classic

Tony Finau has won back-to-back tournaments on the PGA Tour.

Tony Finau, who was having an excellent week driving the ball, shot a final round of 67 (-5) to win the fourth Rocket Mortgage Classic, joining Nate Lashley, Bryson DeChambeau and Cam Davis as winners at the Detroit Golf Club. 

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The win (-26) broke the 72-hole scoring record of the event that dates back to 2019. 

Taylor Pendrith attempted to match birdies with Finau early, but could not get the putter working on the front-nine, shooting an even par (36) before the turn. 

"It was tough, couldn't really get anything going, and didn't get off to the best start, like I did the last three days. But, kind of hung in there," Pendrith said. "Middle of the round, I hit some really nice iron shots, and just couldn't get anything to fall. I left a lot of putts short, and obviously, those have no chance of going in. That was tough, just kind of lost my feel on the speed of my putts. But, all in all, obviously, it's a good week. It's my best finish ever. It's fun to play in a final group. Tony played great, so hats off to him." 

Finau took advantage of the two par fives on the front nine, as he birdied No. 4 and No. 7 to shoot a 34 on the front nine. 

On the back nine, Finau showcased his putting prowess, eventually winning the event by five strokes. 

His bogey on No. 11, a par three, was the only blemish on his otherwise stellar scorecard. 

The win was the first time a PGA Tour golfer has won in back-to-back weeks since Brendon Todd won consecutive events in 2019. 

"My game has evolved dramatically from the start of my career until now," Finau told reporters. "This was a golf course that didn't look very good to me the first time I played it, which is in 2020. Now, a couple years later, and that's the beauty about playing on the PGA Tour -- you play a lot of the same courses every year, and you get to match up and see where you are as a person and where you game is compared to where it was last year. 

"The golf course looked pretty good to me this year, and so to me, that just told me I'm a lot better than I was just a couple years ago. But, that's what it is. I think we evolve as players and as people, and proud that my game has evolved the way it has. It's pretty cool to know that you put your best foot forward and play some good golf. You can put yourself in a position to win a golf tournament, and to do that two weeks in a row is really nice."

Patrick Cantlay, Cameron Young and Pendrith all finished at 21-under (267). 

After bogeying the final hole last week, Finau said he left the course in Minnesota with a sour taste in his mouth. 

He expressed that his back nine on Sunday, which featured four birdies (No. 10, 12, 14 and 17), left him feeling more satisfied with his game, especially after his showing in Detroit in 2020. 

Will Zalatoris, a player many in the golfing community believe is knocking on the door of winning his first career major, enjoyed a stellar final round. 

After shooting a 69 on moving day, he shot a 31 on the front nine that included five birdies. 

A bogey on No. 12 was the only blemish on what was an otherwise stellar performance to cap off his week. 

He finished the Rocket Mortgage Classic at 13-under (275) in a tie for 20th place. 

"I just didn't get much out of the rounds the first couple days," he explained. "I've been driving it amazing. Troy Denton and I spent a lot of time working on the driver after The Open Championship. I really didn't particularly drive it well in Scotland. It was nice to see everything click today."