Tony Finau, Jon Rahm pair up again at WGC-Workday Championship at The Concession

BRADENTON, Fla. – The last time we saw Tony Finau and Jon Rahm they were arm in arm at The Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles. Finau had just suffered another agonizing close call, this time a two-hole sudden-death playoff loss to Max Homa, and Rahm had made his way out to the green to console him.

It was a sweet moment, and rare, but there’s a backstory.

“It’s funny that we’re playing together this week,” Finau, 31, said after bouncing back with a 4-under 68 in the first round of the World Golf Championships-Workday Championship at The Concession on Thursday. “We’ve kind of been hanging out a bit. I’m living in Scottsdale now, and we’ve gotten closer this past year.”

Rahm also shot 68; the two friends sit just two off the lead. Hideki Matsuyama, the third member of the group, triple-bogeyed the last hole and shot 72.

How did Finau and Rahm get so close? Geography, for one. Finau used to be just a Utah guy but last year moved to Scottsdale and joined the Silverleaf Club, where he and Rahm practice and play. They not only walked off the green together at Genesis, they flew across the country together on Monday, Florida-bound. They didn’t talk golf but played cards – a game called Tens.

“I’m going to say it right now, if you don’t get along with Tony Finau, there’s something seriously wrong with you,” said Rahm, 26. “He’s a standup guy, great guy, and we spend a lot of time together back home. A lot of practice rounds, a lot of golf. I just like hanging out with him.”

As for being there for Finau after his agonizing playoff loss, Rahm shrugged. It’s just what friends do.

“I’ve been very fortunate to win both playoffs I’ve been a part of,” he said. “I haven’t had any moments like that on a Sunday. For the most part every time I’ve had a tough moment (my wife) Kelley has been there, my parents have been there, so I’ve had family around. We can’t have family around, so that’s why I was there to have a familiar face.”

Finau, whose 21 top-five finishes since the start of the 2016-17 season are the most among players without a victory over that span, said he didn’t recall what was said but appreciated the gesture.

“I’m not one to play a victim card, but after that day it’s a little bit bitter,” he said. “To feel like you played good enough to win and fall short again, it’s just nice to have someone to lean on. He’s been in situations where he’s won and lost and knows what it feels like at the highest level. He was able to console me for those few seconds and I was appreciative of that.”

It was a tender moment between competitors, but a better way to describe this friendship is: Game recognize game.

“I feel like we both have that short swing and for the most part hit a fade, so we play golf courses very similarly,” Rahm said after driving into trouble and bogeying the par-4 finishing hole at The Concession on Thursday.

“I have a lot of respect for Jon and his game,” said Finau, who made a scrambling par after taking an unplayable lie off the tee on 18. “It started a few years back when I told him I was moving to Scottsdale. We ended up playing some golf together through the quarantine, and kind of just got a lot closer through that experience. But he’s a good dude.”

Finau, a one-time TOUR winner, is ranked 13th in the world and sixth in the FedExCup. He’s also a father of four with wife Alayna.

Rahm, a five-time TOUR winner, is ranked second and is 13th in the FedExCup. He and wife Kelley Cahill are expecting their first child later this year.

“Tony keeps telling me just trust your instincts and you’ll know what to do when it comes,” Rahm said.

The two will continue to practice and play together back home, and continue to battle together at The Concession. They may even start flying together more, Finau said.

True, golf can be cruel, but a sweet friendship refreshes the soul. Win or lose, golf or cards, Finau and Rahm have a good thing going.