Scottie Scheffler: The cool story of how Tony Finau met him

Imagine you get to your tee time and you’re paired with some random guy, and out of nowhere this guy shows up with a round of 59. What would your reaction be?

If, like me, you would rub your eyes in disbelief and check the scorecard several times before making it “official,” you should know that these things happen on the professional level, and they are just as exceptional and special there as they are on any municipal course.

In fact, that’s exactly what happened to Tony Finau the first time he played a round with Scottie Scheffler, and it was so special that he hasn’t forgotten it to this day. Rather than forgetting it, he remembers it vividly.

During a recent interview, Tony Finau answered questions about Scottie Scheffler’s current form. His answer came in the form of the following anecdote:

“Yeah, just a quick Scottie Scheffler story. The first time I played with Scottie, I didn’t really know who he was because he was a rookie on the PGA Tour and I played with him at TPC Boston. This was in I think ’17 or ’18, his rookie year. We’re playing together and after nine holes I think he shoots like 7 under or whatever. I’m not really paying attention, kind of focused on my own game.”

“We got to No. 17 and he made another birdie. I look over to my caddie and I’m like, man, this guy’s got to be 8 or 9 under, and my caddie’s like, how about 11…?

“So anyways, he birdies the last hole to shoot 59. I was playing with him and that was the first time I heard of him, it was the first time that I played with him. So that gave you an idea… maybe not the first time I heard of him, but I vaguely knew who he was coming from the Korn Ferry Tour.”

“Anyways, that was the first time I played with Scottie, he shot a 59 at TPC Boston. And I knew he was special, from that moment on… I’ve played [now] enough rounds with him to know how great of a player he is, but I think it doesn’t beat the person that he is. He is pretty fantastic for our game. Cool to see all the success that he is having.”

Golf is extraordinary. The next round is always a mystery to be unraveled, whether you are a pro or have never broken 100.

The first time Tony Finau ever played golf with Scottie Scheffler, Scottie shot a 59. 😂 pic.twitter.com/hq2hRZJUQN

— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) March 26, 2024

Scottie Scheffler & Tony Finau: The Facts

The anecdote told by Tony Finau occurred at The Northern Trust tournament, now called the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first of three FedEx Cup playoff events. As Finau said, the event was played at TPC Boston, August 20-23, 2020.

Finau and Scottie Scheffler played the second round together. The former carded a score of 69, while Scottie Scheffler fired a historic 59, which would be decisive for his final position on the leaderboard.

Scottie Scheffler had 12 birdies with no bogeys in that round. He birdied the 2nd, 4th to 7th, 9th to 11th, 14th to 16th and closed birdieing the 18th. He used only 23 putts during the round (1.39 per green in regulations).

This score was essential for Scottie Scheffler to finish T4 in that tournament, won by Dustin Johnson. Tony Finau missed the cut.

In that season, Scottie Scheffler played in 23 tournaments, with 18 cuts made. Scheffler finished in seven Top 10s and 13 Top 25s, with two third-place finishes as his best results. His best round of the year was the 59 that Tony Finau talked about, while his worst was a 79 in the first round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic. It is fair to say that in the second round he fired a 65, although he missed the cut.

He played 92 rounds, 42 of them with scores in the 60s (plus one in the 50s).