What’s defending champ Tony Finau excited for at Mexico Open? Tee times at a par-3 course with his kids

Tony Finau admits the Mexico Open at Vidanta is one of his favorite events on the calendar.

He knows the course sets up well for his game. Look no further than when he won the event at Vidanta Vallarta last year for his sixth PGA Tour victory. But it’s also a great place for Finau to take his family, where there’s a little bit of everything for them to do, whether it’s hanging out at the pool, riding rollercoasters at the new theme park or watching dad play some golf.

Yet last year, Finau made waves when he was caught on social media caddying for his kids on the par-3 course the night after winning the event.

This guy just won four hours ago @MexicoOpenGolf and is back out on the par-3 course caddying for his kids. @tonyfinaugolf is one of a kind 👏🏻👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/8ny765tZeA

— Sharon Thomas (@SharonShin92) May 1, 2023

“I’m kind of a part-time golfer, full-time father, that’s kind of my thing,” Finau said last year. “My kids are only young once, and my boys are only young once. I want to make sure I’m there for them as much as possible. That’s also why I have them travel with me. It’s pretty dang cool that we’re able to share that special moment on the golf course having won the tournament, but then shooting straight over to the par 3 and then having that time with them was a lot of fun.”

Expect plenty of golf to be on Finau’s plate as he defends his title starting Thursday. During his pre-tournament press conference on Tuesday, Finau said his tee sheet will be filled during the day and at night.

“I think we reserved a tee time there about 8:00 every night, and we’ll be there with my boys playing pretty much every evening,” Finau said. “That’s definitely at the top of our list of things we enjoy here at Vidanta.”

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The course at Vidanta is lit, meaning there’s plenty of time for Finau to head out and play with his kids after the grind of a round during the day. And if history is any indication, maybe it could help him defend his title.

“There’s definitely different feelings coming back to a golf course that you’ve had success,” Finau said. “Once you get on the golf course, you know it’s a course that you’ve had success and you’ve won before, so you definitely have that sense of confidence I think walking around a place that you’ve won before. Hopefully that’s the case this week.”

In five starts this year, Finau hasn’t missed a cut. He finished T-6 at the Farmers Insurance Open and is coming off a T-19 at the Genesis Invitational last week.

The Mexico Open at Vidanta is Finau’s first tournament in the next month he’ll be defending his title at, also the Texas Children’s Houston Open in March. With his game in a good place, he feels like a good week is on tap in Mexico.

“This golf course is high on my list as far as courses that look good to me and that I like, so I’ll be looking to definitely get after it again this week and try and defend this title,” Finau said.