A five-stroke deficit with eleven holes left proved no obstacle at all
In the shifting winds of a Minnesota Sunday, Tony Finau reminded the game of golf — and perhaps anyone watching — that a lead is never a possession, only a temporary condition. What began as Scott Piercy's tournament to lose became exactly that, as Finau's patient, composed pursuit transformed a five-stroke deficit into a three-stroke victory at the 3M Open. The third career win for the Utah native was less a story of brilliance imposed than of steadiness maintained while another man's certainty dissolved.
- Piercy entered Sunday's final round holding a tournament-record 54-hole lead, appearing untouchable after posting just three bogeys across his first 61 holes.
- The Minnesota wind proved merciless — Piercy bogeyed four of his first six holes, then suffered a catastrophic triple-bogey on No. 14 after a bunker escape attempt splashed into the water.
- Finau moved through the chaos with visible calm, draining a 31-foot birdie putt on 15 and surviving a grandstand ricochet on 17 with a deft chip to within a foot of the hole.
- By the final green, Piercy had tumbled into a tie for fourth with a 76, while Finau's closing bogey still left him three strokes clear — the deficit had fully reversed.
- The victory vaulted Finau from 30th to 17th in the FedEx Cup standings, arriving at the season's final stretch with momentum and a renewed claim on contention.
Tony Finau sealed a three-stroke victory at the 3M Open on Sunday with a final-round 67, capping a remarkable reversal at TPC Twin Cities. The day had begun with Finau trailing Scott Piercy by five strokes — a gap that, by any reasonable measure, should have held. It did not.
Piercy, 43, had been in complete command through 54 holes, his tournament-record lead built on precision and composure. But Sunday's wind dismantled him methodically. He bogeyed four of his first six holes, then arrived at No. 14 and made a fateful decision — attempting a risky approach from a fairway bunker that found the water. The resulting triple-bogey was the tournament's turning point. He finished with a 76 and fell into a tie for fourth, four strokes behind the man who had once chased him.
Finau, meanwhile, played with the quiet authority of someone who sensed the door opening. He drained a 31-foot birdie putt on the 15th to tighten his grip, then survived a surreal moment on 17 when his tee shot caromed off a grandstand, bounced back onto the green, and settled near the water's edge. He chipped to within a foot and made the par, pressing a hand to his chest in mock relief.
The win — Finau's third on the PGA Tour — pushed him from 30th to 17th in the FedEx Cup standings. Sungjae Im and Emiliano Grillo finished tied for second. What Finau carried off the 18th green was more than a trophy: it was evidence that five strokes and eleven holes can be, under the right conditions, more than enough room.
Tony Finau walked off the 18th green at TPC Twin Cities on Sunday afternoon with his fist pumped and his cap in hand, having just sealed a three-stroke victory at the 3M Open with a final round of 4-under 67. What made the moment remarkable was not the score itself, but the distance he had traveled to get there. When the day began, Finau trailed Scott Piercy by five strokes with eleven holes still to play. By day's end, Piercy had unraveled so completely that Finau's closing bogey on the par-5 18th—after his tee shot found the water—was enough to win.
Piercy, the 43-year-old from Las Vegas, had arrived at Sunday's final round in complete command. He held a tournament-record 54-hole lead and had posted only three bogeys across his first 61 holes. But the wind at the Minnesota course proved merciless. He bogeyed four of his first six holes on Sunday, then encountered something far worse on No. 14. His tee shot landed in the fairway bunker. His sand wedge failed to escape it. Desperate to recover, he attempted a risky approach from the bunker that splashed into the water short and left of the green—a choice that would haunt him. After the drop and subsequent shots, he signed for a 7 on the hole, a triple-bogey that essentially handed the tournament away. By the time Piercy finished, he had posted a 76 and tumbled into a tie for fourth place, four strokes behind.
Finau, meanwhile, played the golf of a man who sensed opportunity. The 6-foot-4 Utah native moved through the course with visible calm, his white hat and aqua-striped polo cutting a composed figure even as the conditions tested everyone around him. He made a 31-foot putt for birdie on the 15th to tighten his grip on the lead. Then came the 17th, where fortune and skill collided in his favor. His tee shot clanged off the side of a grandstand, ricocheted back onto the green, and rolled into the rough just feet from the water. Most players would have held their breath. Finau executed a perfect chip to within a foot of the hole, made the par, and allowed himself a small smile as he playfully clamped his hand to his chest as if the sequence had nearly stopped his heart.
Finau finished at 17-under 267 for his third career PGA Tour victory. Sungjae Im and Emiliano Grillo tied for second place, two strokes back. James Hahn surged up the leaderboard with a final-round 65 to tie Piercy and Tom Hoge at 13-under. The victory moved Finau from 30th to 17th in the FedEx Cup standings, positioning him squarely in contention as the season's final events approached. He had entered the week ranked 17th in the world and left it with momentum and proof that a five-stroke deficit with eleven holes remaining is not, in fact, insurmountable.
Citações Notáveis
Piercy had posted only three bogeys across his first 61 holes before posting seven bogeys in his final 11 holes on Sunday— Tournament record
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
What was it about Piercy's collapse that made it so complete? He'd been nearly flawless all week.
He'd only made three bogeys in his first 61 holes. That's the kind of control that breeds confidence, maybe even a little complacency. Then the wind picked up on Sunday and he started leaking shots everywhere—four bogeys in six holes. But the triple on 14 is what broke him. He made a bad decision under pressure, tried to be too clever from the bunker instead of playing safe.
And Finau just happened to be playing right behind him?
Yes, in the preceding group. So he could see it all happening. He knew Piercy was falling apart. That's a different kind of pressure—you're not chasing a ghost, you're watching your opponent implode in real time.
The shot on 17, the one that hit the grandstand—that should have been a disaster.
It should have been. But it bounced back onto the green. Then he chipped it to a foot. That's the kind of luck that only comes when you're playing well enough to capitalize on it. He didn't panic. He just executed.
What does this win mean for him going forward?
He jumps into the FedEx Cup race at a critical moment. The playoffs are coming. This is the kind of victory that changes how you feel about yourself heading into those events.