TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 30, 2024

Tony Finau

East Lake Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Good playing, 66. What worked well for you today and what was the difference between round 1 and round 2?

TONY FINAU: Yeah, I think bogeyed No. 2, which wasn't ideal, and then I played really nicely after that. Gave myself a bunch of looks. It's a golf course that's there for the taking if you hit the fairway, and I was able to do that today.

I hit a lot of fairways, which allowed me to hit short irons into the green and gave myself some birdie looks, and I was able to make some.

The golf course is available for the taking if you hit fairways, and I was able to do that today.

Q. You're tied with Xander for the longest active streak of qualifying for the TOUR Championship. How proud are you of that streak that you have?

TONY FINAU: Yeah, I'm extremely proud of it. It's something that at the beginning of every season, you want to make it to East Lake. You want to start in Kapalua and you want to make it to East Lake. That is how you want the season to go, and I've been able to do that consecutive years. Just proud of the work that I've put in to have that accomplishment.

But I've said it all week; it's nice to be here, but I want a good crack at it on a Sunday. I haven't really given myself -- no matter the position I've been in coming into the week, I haven't really been in the thick of it on a Sunday.

Even though I am proud of how many times I've been able to be a top-30 performer on the PGA TOUR, I'm looking to give myself a chance on Sunday.

Today was a good start to that.

Q. Some of the changes to the golf course, specifically the 8th hole, what do you think about the changes to that hole, making it a drivable par-4?

TONY FINAU: Yeah, it's definitely a lot different. I think making it drivable is pretty cool. You've got the water up the left side. Could end up being pretty iconic as the golf course kind of settles.

But I think it probably yielded quite a few birdies today, but I do think it's a cool hole. We haven't had a drivable hole here on this golf course in the past, so to be able to add one on 8, I think that was a smart move.

Q. For players in general, like today when they look up and they see they're down 17 shots -- you're different because you shoot 63 tomorrow and it's a way different ballgame for you. But what's the general feeling for a player when they see, I'm playing pretty good but I'm down by 14 shots?

TONY FINAU: Yeah, there's so much to play for no matter what. Obviously those guys probably -- those guys at the bottom after two day now, the guys at the bottom of the leaderboard aren't going to have a chance to win, but there's still so much to play for.

At the end of this year, FedEx has done an incredible job of stepping up and giving us a great bonus no matter what happens this week, so we're always looking to improve our position no matter where we're at, and I think that's the case.

When I've been in that position where I haven't had a chance to win, but you want to finish off the year great no matter what, and so Saturday and Sunday you put all your chips on the table and do your best to finish it off.

Q. How hard is it for you to not keep looking at that board and not do the math?

TONY FINAU: Yeah, I mean, it's something -- because I've had so much experience playing at this tournament, you just try to play your best and just see where you stack up. I'm going to be quite a few shots still back after today, even after a good round, so it's going to take two really special ones to put myself in the thick of it. Hopefully that's a challenge I'm up for.