Tony Finau ties for second in Houston after up-and-down weekend

Tony Finau came one stroke short Sunday of repeating as Houston Open champion after an up-and-down weekend that included a tournament scoring record and a tense argument with another pro.

The Utah native tied with four other golfers, including Scottie Scheffler, for second place, while Stephan Jaeger scored his first-ever PGA Tour win.

Finau’s highs and lows

Finau had a two-shot lead at the midway point of the tournament after shooting 8-under par on Friday.

His score of 62 tied the Houston Open scoring record — which he also tied during the last Houston Open in 2022 — as well as his career low.

• Finau has posted a 62 six times in his career, according to The Associated Press.

Finau had a tougher day Saturday, shooting a two-over 72 and sliding down the scoreboard to ninth place.

But rather than his loss of the lead, much of the conversation around Finau Saturday was about an awkward encounter between him and one of the other two golfers in his group, Alejandro Tosti.

On the fourth green, the two men disagreed about who was farther from the hole. (In golf, the person farthest from the hole putts first and is, therefore, at a disadvantage because they aren’t able to watch how the ball breaks near the hole.)

Eventually, Finau and Tosti asked the third member of the party, Thomas Detry, to weigh in, and Detry said that Finau was closer.

Tosti took his time prepping his putt but talked to Finau again before hitting. He didn’t putt until Finau adjusted his ball marker.

“Finally, after 3 minutes, 23 seconds, Tosti hit the putt. It rolled with perfect speed to the hole but missed to the right. He tapped in for 4. Finau went second and got the read right, but left his try about 18 inches short. He tapped in for 4,” Golf.com reported.

Tosti ended the day Saturday tied for the lead.

Sunday at the Houston Open

Finau shot a 4-under 66 Sunday to secure a share of second place.

As on Thursday and Saturday, he struggled with putting, but his play off the green was nearly good enough to secure him the repeat victory.

“Didn’t make a crucial putt when I really needed it,” Finau said after finishing his round Sunday, according to Golfweek. “That’s the game we play. But I was happy to finish with really solid shots down the last couple holes and just to birdie the last couple.”

Scheffler also had a putt to blame for his second-place finish. He missed a five-footer on the 18th hole that nearly everyone watching, including the tournament winner, Jaeger, expected him to make.

“I expected him to make it, and I’m not mad at him for missing it,” Jaeger said, according to ESPN.

Tosti tied for second with Finau and Scheffler, as well as with Detry and Taylor Moore.