Tony Finau admits uncertainty over 2023 Ryder Cup wildcard spot
Tony Finau has admitted that if consistency and form is what USA captain Zach Johnson is looking for ahead of the Ryder Cup later this year, his spot on the plane to Rome could be in jeopardy.
Finau was part of the losing 2018 side in France and the triumphant 2021 side at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin, where he earned one point from three matches – losing his singles match against Ian Poulter and winning one from two fourballs.
The 33-year-old has hit a rough patch of form at an extremely inconvenient time as Johnson seeks to narrow down his wildcard options following the end of major season. Finau has failed to post a top-25 finish in his last eight major starts and recently missed the cut at Hoylake.
He hasn’t finished inside the top 20 of any event since his win at the Mexico Open in April but datagolf‘s projections hand the Utah native a 57% chance of making the team despite sitting 19th in Ryder Cup points and a long way from an automatic qualifying spot.
When asked if he feels he’s done enough to make the team, Finau replied:
“Yeah, I think if winning and experience holds a lot of weight, then I feel like I’ve done enough. If consistency and form is the formula that the captains are looking for, then the answer’s probably no. That’s how I see it.
“But the great thing for me is the picks aren’t tomorrow, the picks are still in about a month. I’ve got four tournaments to make my case if there is a question and that’s what I intend to do.”
According to the latest odds from golf betting sites, Finau is 4/9 to make the roster. The current odds suggest a team of Scottie Scheffler, Wyndham Clark, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Brooks Koepka, Jordan Spieth, Max Homa, Brian Harman, Rickie Fowler, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas and Finau make the trip to Italy – without the in-form Cameron Young.
To Make The USA Ryder Cup Team Odds
- Scottie Scheffler @ 1/500
- Wyndham Clark @ 1/500
- Patrick Cantlay @ 1/250
- Xander Schauffele @ 1/250
- Brooks Koepka @ 1/100
- Jordan Spieth @ 1/100
- Max Homa @ 1/100
- Brian Harman @ 1/20
- Rickie Fowler @ 1/14
- Collin Morikawa @ 1/4
- Tony Finau @ 4/9
- Justin Thomas @ 1/2
- Cameron Young @ 8/11
- Keegan Bradley @ 1/1
- Patrick Reed @ 5/2
- Dustin Johnson @ 3/1
Finau will tee it up at the 3M Open in Minnesota this week as he seeks to win the tournament for the second consecutive year following triumph in 2022, beating Emiliano Grillo and Sungjae Im by three strokes at 17 under.
He currently holds the third best odds at 16/1, behind Cameron Young and Sungjae Im tied at 14/1. The six-time PGA Tour winner will know he needs to produce his best in the coming weeks to prove why he should be on Zach Johnson’s teamsheet.
