Two-time Ryder Cup player Tony Finau says making the US team for this year's biennial tournament is a goal of his, but he admits he has some work to do in the coming weeks to persuade captain Zach Johnson to pick him.
The 33-year-old, who defends his trophy in this week’s 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities, has admitted reaching the tournament at Rome's Marco Simone Golf and Country Club remains in his thinking.
He said: “The Ryder Cup's always has been on my mind from the start of the year. It's a goal of mine. I would say any American golfer playing, it's a goal of theirs to be on this team, that hasn't changed. But I've been in this type of position before, you know, where probably on the outside looking in.”
Finau’s form has been patchy since his most recent PGA Tour win, when he held off Jon Rahm to claim victory in the Mexico Open at the end of April. His seven starts since then failed to produce a top-10 finish, and he has missed the cut in the last two, including last week’s Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.
However, he’s confident he can make the most of the remaining chances available to impress Johnson. He said: “Going to have to play some good golf over these next few weeks and make my case. The good news is I've been in this position before, I've made the teams before and hope to show some good form to make my case for myself over the next few weeks.”
Finau has represented Team USA twice. The first time, in 2018, he was selected as one of Jim Furyk’s captain’s picks and went on to produce a 2-1-0 record, which included a win against Tommy Fleetwood in his singles match, even though the US lost to Team Europe that year.
Three years later, Finau was again named in the team as the US reclaimed the trophy at Whistling Straits. On that occasion he finished with a record of 1-2-0.
Even though he is well short of the top six on the Ryder Cup points list needed to guarantee selection, he thinks his experience in the tournament can stand him in good stead when Johnson finalises his captain’s picks after August’s Tour Championship.
He explained: “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, I'm looking at 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.”
‘The Game Presents Challenges At Every Turn’
Despite his indifferent form over recent months, Finau is confident he can recover in the coming weeks. He said: “The game presents challenges at every turn no matter what, no matter what stage of your career you're in. I'm at a stage where I have had some nice wins but haven't had the consistency that I would like to see from myself over the years.
“This time last year I was able to change the way that the year was going and trended -- started to trend upward right into the Playoffs and I'm looking to do some of the same starting this week.”
Finau is not the only potential Ryder Cup player struggling for form of late, with another teeing it up in this week’s tournament, Justin Thomas, still tipped to get the nod from Johnson despite a run that has seen him miss the cut in three of this year’s four Majors.
Finau had words of encouragement for Thomas, too. He continued: “JT's an extremely talented player and one of the best in our game, arguably the best of our generation. I have full faith that he's going to snap out of it.”
Thomas himself claims he’s “very close” to finding his form, but whether either player makes the US Ryder Cup team remains to be seen. Strong performances this week would go a long way to convincing Johnson they have a place, though, with the tournament now just two months away.
