This slight putting change helped Tony Finau tie course record (again) at Houston Open

HOUSTON — It’s Groundhog Day, again.

In the last edition of the Texas Children’s Houston Open at Memorial Park, Tony Finau tied a tournament record with an 8-under 62 in the second round en route to victory.

Well, he did the first part again.

On Friday, Finau shot 8-under 62, again tying the tournament record to move to 9 under overall and three clear of the field before the afternoon wave teed off. Finau got hot on his final nine holes, the front nine, which included a stretch of playing Nos. 3-8 in 6 under. The highlight was a chip-in eagle on the par-5 eighth.

“I think my 62 in the fall was actually better,” Finau said. “The golf course can yield some birdies here from the rough because the rough’s so much shorter. Yeah, I think my 62 in the fall was a little more impressive just in that you had to hit the fairway. When you’re playing bermudagrass, hitting out of bermuda rough is just ridiculous. I think when I shot 62, I hit 14 out of 14 fairways and that was quite impressive.

“But 62 is good anytime of the year and I’ll take the one today.”

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The big change Friday for Finau was his putting. In his opening 69, Finau beat only five golfers in the field in Strokes Gained: Putting, losing three shots. In the second round, he gained nearly four shots on the greens and was first in the field after the morning wave.

“It’s nice to have my coach out here, Boyd Summerhays,” Finau said. “He noticed a little setup change that he mentioned might help. I’d say it definitely helped today.”

The Houston Open is one of four tournaments Finau has defended his title at in the past year, and he said that pressure to perform is always a bit elevated.

Rounds like he had Friday help make that go away.

“It’s a place that you’ve played well, obviously a course that I really like, so there’s that added pressure on both fronts,” Finau said. “Overall, it’s a place that I have great memories coming back to. I get great support here from the fans. It is pressure, but I look forward to coming back and defending any title that I win.”