Tony Finau all but clinches spot on U.S. Presidents Cup Team

DETROIT – After winning the Rocket Mortgage Classic for his second victory in as many weeks, there is almost no scenario in which Tony Finau will not make the U.S. Presidents Cup Team, which will take on the International Team at Quail Hollow Club on Sept. 22-25.

Still, he figures he has work to do even after shooting 26 under par to blow away the field at Detroit Golf Club. That’s because only six players will make the team on points after the second event of the FedExCup Playoffs, the BMW Championship. U.S. Captain Davis Love III will round out his team with six Captain's Picks on Aug. 29, the day after the TOUR Championship concludes.

Finau is sixth in the U.S. Team standings after his back-to-back wins, more than 1,100 points in front of No. 7 Jordan Spieth. Each FedExCup point earned this season is worth three points in the U.S. Presidents Cup standings (FedExCup Playoffs events are worth the same as World Golf Championships, with 1,650 points going to the winners).

“To make those teams is really hard,” Finau said after beating Patrick Cantlay, Taylor Pendrith and Cameron Young by five Sunday. “There's so many great players. I think one of the great players, Cameron Young, was chasing me down today. You're going to see these guys win a lot, they're amazing golfers. So, for me, I have that goal every year to make these teams on points.”

Finau has a handful of fellow multiple winners this season ahead of him in the Presidents Cup standings, including Scottie Scheffler, Sam Burns and Xander Schauffele. Cantlay, who posted his TOUR-leading 10th top-10 finish in Detroit, is up there, as is Justin Thomas.

Finau has played on the past two Ryder Cup teams and in the previous Presidents Cup, at Royal Melbourne in 2019. He was a Captain's Pick each time, amassing a 3-4-3 record.

“I've been selected in the past,” Finau said. “One of my goals is to make the Presidents Cup team by points. These last two weeks, I think, were huge in earning my spot. I think everybody earns their spot to a certain extent, but I truly want to earn my spot by earning enough points to just qualify for the team this year. I've got a couple more tournaments to kind of prove myself.”