American Ryder Cup Captain Jim Furyk selected 28-year-old Tony Finau as his fourth and final captain's pick for the 2018 Ryder Cup team on Monday afternoon following the finish of the PGA Tour's BMW Championship.
The selection comes less than a month after the two golfers competed in the same pairing for the first three rounds of the PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club.
Here's a look at the Salt Lake City native's path to a top-20 world ranking and a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team.
Height/Weight: 6-4, 200 lbs.
Turned pro: 2007
PGA Tour debut: 2007 U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee
PGA Tour victories: 1 – 2016 Puerto Rico Open
Finishes at majors in 2018:
- Masters Tournament: T10
- U.S. Open: 5th
- The Open Championship: T9
- PGA Championship: T42
Best finish this season: 2nd/T2 (Safeway Open, Genesis Open, The Northern Trust)
While Finau had his worst finish at a major this season at the PGA Championship, he tied Gary Player with 10 birdies in the second round as he shot a 4-under 66. Not a bad time to make history with the American Ryder Cup captain nearby.
Finau is one of the biggest hitters on the PGA Tour, ranking third this season with an average driving distance of more than 316 yards. His tee shots at the PGA Championship sparked audible reactions from the crowd and he drew comparisons to Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka.
As of Monday, he ranks 13th on the PGA Tour in strokes gained from the tee to the green and sixth in holes-per-eagle. On Tuesday morning, he'll wake up a member of the Ryder Cup USA team.
