PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

August 7, 2020

Tony Finau

Harding Park Golf Club

Flash Quotes

JOHN DEVER: Good afternoon. Welcome back to the 2020 PGA Championship here at TPC Harding Park. Pleased to be joined by Tony Finau. Tony posted an even-par 70 today and he's 3-under par for the championship.

Tony, essentially you held serve today but you're still within hailing distance in the mix. Do you agree with that assessment at this point?

TONY FINAU: Yeah, no doubt. I think other than Haotong, I think 6-under is the next best score, a few shots back of that. But on this golf course, I definitely think being five shots off the pace with 36 to go, you've got a chance to make some noise, and still in contention, so I'm happy about that.

You know, had some opportunities to kind of shoot myself in the foot on the back nine and I was able to make some putts, which was huge for me. 14 I made a par save, and I think pars were kind of a good score coming down the stretch. Started to get a little colder and a little bit windier, and I don't think you see too many crazy low scores in the afternoon.

I thought even par was respectable, and again, just didn't shoot myself out of the tournament with 36 holes to go.

Q. What's the biggest part of your game that could notch up a little bit and close that gap?

TONY FINAU: Hitting a few more fairways. I think hit a couple times in the rough today on the back nine and it just makes it really hard to make a run and have birdie looks if you're not hitting it in the fairway.

Got to find a few more fairways, I feel like, the final 36. But the game feels good. In a good spot, and been in this position before. To be able to close that gap, I know I can make the birdies. Just got to limit the mistakes.

Q. Cameron Champ was in earlier and he was asked about the length guys are hitting it these days, and he said you're the longest guy on Tour. Do you think that's the case?

TONY FINAU: Yeah, if I want to be, I do feel like that. I think if we were all to maybe tee up four or five golf balls on the range and just let loose, I have a hard time believing somebody is going to hit it further than I am. Just because I've always kind of had that speed. When I was younger, I got up to about 212 ball speed with a standard driver, which is pretty fast. I don't know if I quite have that, but I got up to 206 there about a month ago, and that was only just trying for a day.

I've got it in the tank, but I don't really know where it's going, so I don't use it on the golf course. Getting up in the upper 80s and 90s has been fun. I've kind of cranked it up a little bit. A couple holes today I was able to open up and try to swing a little harder.

Q. Which holes can you sort of unload on here?

TONY FINAU: No. 12, I think No. 5 is a hole, No. 4, and then like No. 18 today is down off the right. I pulled it a little and hit the tree, but I was trying to get after that one and really take it over almost everything. It allows to you do that on some of those holes, so I have driven it well on some of those holes where I have kind of opened up.

Also No. 9. No. 9 is a hole where I just kind of blast it over the right bunkers. I don't know too many guys that can do that into that wind. It gives me just the luxury of having a shorter iron out of the rough. Obviously I'm trying to hit the fairway, but if I do push, hitting 8- or 9-iron into 9 is kind of a big deal just because of how hard the hole is.