Numbers lie.
For further proof look no further than the driving distance leaders on the PGA Tour, which say that Tony Finau ranks No. 30 this season. Big Tony laughed at the thought that 29 of his fellow Tour pros can poke it past him.
“The driving distance stat, to me, just seems, it doesn’t mean as much to me maybe as it does to some other guys, as far as their ego,” he said. “I think your scoring average and winning golf tournaments is ultimately why we’re out here and I’ve played a lot of high-level golf and I’m more interested in that, I think, than the whole distance debate deal.”
But to hear Finau tell it, there is at least one pro who can bomb it past him: Cameron Champ, his partner in this week’s two-man team event at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, who ranks third at 318 yards behind only Wyndham Clark and Bryson DeChambeau. When Finau and Champ were asked who was longer, neither pointed at himself.
“He’s pointing at the wrong guy,” Finau said.
“No, no,” said Champ, who explained why Finau’s “puny” average driving distance of 305 yards doesn’t tell the full story of his prodigious length. “As people notice, he takes it back a little bit shorter than normal, but when he takes it back full, he is the longest on Tour.”
Finau, who has cracked the 200-mph barrier, didn’t disagree, while paying another compliment to his partner: “I will say, though, at the high speeds, Cameron knows where it’s going a lot more often than I do. I might have, maybe a little bit more on the take. I still don’t know. He can get it up in the 200s as well, but he probably has a better idea where it’s going at that speed. I have a lot of speed but not quite sure where it’s going.”
What Team Finau-Champ knows is they’ve adopted the name “Team Send It,” and they bring a second gear to TPC Louisiana that their opponents in the 80-man field of two-person teams better respect.
“In the best ball, there’s no reason for me to hold back on certain holes where Cameron has got it out there in the middle of the fairway,” Finau said. “So, I’ll definitely crank up my ball speed on a few shots this week. I’m sure we’ll be sending some good drives this week, no doubt.”
Count Justin Rose among those who wouldn’t be surprised if Finau broke out of his winless drought at the team event much the way Ryan Palmer did in 2019 with partner Jon Rahm.
“I’ve followed Cameron’s career quite closely just based on (instructor) Sean Foley, and it looks like he’s beginning to play really nicely,” Rose said. “Obviously, Tony is in great form. The way both those guys hit the ball if they get on half a streak around here that could be a really tough team to beat just based on the weapons that they have.”
The Zurich Classic, which dates to 1938, switched to a team format in 2017, and for some, securing a partner has been akin to finding a prom date. Asked in that inaugural year to explain in up to three words why he had chosen Luke Donald as his partner, Jamie Lovemark counted on his hand while saying, “Des-per-ation.”
Finau and Champ formed a friendship through their manager, Wasserman’s Chris Armstrong, and paired together at the QBE Shootout in December, finishing in a tie for fifth. The team format brings a different strategy and intrigue to the decision-making process, which explains why so many players are talking about the importance of team chemistry and complementing each other’s game.
“I think it’s important,” Finau said, “to have some type of relationship with your partner beforehand so he knows you’re trying your best and I know he’s trying his best and a lot of times that just helps take the pressure off.”
There are decisions still to be made such as where to enjoy the famed grilled oysters to be had in the Big Easy – Acme’s, Drago’s or both – and who will tee off on the even and odd holes during the alternate-shot rounds, but one decision has been made: their walk-up music for the first tee will be “Do Whatcha Wanna,” by the Rebirth Brand Band of New Orleans.
“We’re going to have a little bit of jazz music, actually, just to kind of pay homage to New Orleans,” Finau said. “So we’re going to have a local band music playing in the background. I thought that would be pretty cool for our squad.”