SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Among the 15,000 or so fans gathered at the arena that is the par-3 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale, WNBA star Brittney Griner watched Tony Finau on Saturday at the WM Phoenix Open.
Griner, who plays for the Phoenix Mercury, made just her second public appearance since her release from a Russian prison, where she was held for nearly 10 months, in December.
Griner walked the final three holes with Finau’s group from inside the ropes. She and Finau share the same representatives and she claimed to be a big fan of Finau, who won twice on the PGA Tour last season, most recently in November at the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba. After Finau belted a 360-yard drive and made birdie at the last, the two athletes met and Griner said she’d like to return the favor by having Finau come to one of her Mercury games.
When they parted ways, Griner blushed and fanned her face. Starstruck, she was asked?
“Oh, yeah,” she said. “He and Tony Hawk. It must be the Tonys.”
Tony Finau meets WNBA star Brittney Griner @WMPhoenixOpen. Tony is a big dude but next to Brittney he looks puny. pic.twitter.com/GhBNxYYrDy
— Adam Schupak (@AdamSchupak) February 12, 2023
According to the Associated Press, she previously attended a Martin Luther King Jr. march in downtown Phoenix. Teammate Diana Taurasi was also in attendance.