Tony Finau Prevails Over Jon Rahm at Mexico Open

Since winning November’s Houston Open, Tony Finau has continuously floated around the top of the leaderboard. In 11 starts, Finau had posted eight top-10 finishes, playing steady golf but failing to add to his five PGA Tour victories—a rewarding but simultaneously frustrating cycle. 

That all changed on Sunday at Vidanta Vallarta, where Finau shot a final-round 66 to win the Mexico Open by three shots, tallying 24 under for his four rounds. 

Finau, 33, becomes only the fourth multiple-time winner on the PGA Tour this season. He joins a top-tier group of Max Homa, Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm. Rahm, who was defending his 2022 title in Mexico this week, finished three shots behind Finau with a tournament total of 21 under par.

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Finau’s Sunday round was highlighted by his impressive scrambling. Finau got up-and-down five times during the final round, and he carded five birdies for a clean bogey-free card. With the win, Finau moves to No. 4 in the FedEx Cup standings. 

“It feels amazing. Rahmbo’s the best, he’s on top of the world right now. I knew I was going to have my hands full with him all the way until the end. I didn’t know this golf tournament was mine until I hit this green here. It’s crazy how this game is. You never think you have a tournament won until it’s over,” Finau said. “It feels great, and I’m going to enjoy this one with my family.”

Finau was greeted on the 18th green by his wife Alayna and five children, who all traveled with him to the tropical tournament destination. 

Finau credited his stellar play earlier this week to some recent short game work with his swing coach Boyd Summerhays. The Scottsdale, Ariz., resident explained that his putting statistics had been holding him back the past several months, but ahead of Vidanta Vallarta, he found a fix. 

“I always feel like I'm a good putter, just sometimes you've got to ride the waves with your putter throughout a season. I haven't putted it great statistically over the last couple months, but things change fast,” Finau said. 

Akshay Bhatia, a 21-year-old with temporary membership on the PGA Tour, played in the final pairing along with Rahm and Finau. The former junior golf sensation came up short of the title with a final round 70, but the solo fourth place is his second-best PGA Tour finish.