“A self-aware professional athlete” – Fans laud Tony Finau for his ‘professional’ response to query on his US Ryder Cup team qualification

Tony Finau expressed that he was aware of his current situation regarding the US Ryder Cup team selection and that he still needed to do well in the remaining events this season to make his case stronger.

The 33-year-old golfer is currently in Blaine, Minnesota, to defend the 3M Open, which begins on Thursday, July 27. As of now, he sits in the 19th position in the US Team standings for the Ryder Cup 2023. The deadline is the BMW Championship, scheduled for the end of the next month.

Speaking at the pre-event press conference of the 3M Open on Tuesday, July 25, he said the Ryder Cup was the goal of any American golfer, but he still needed to get good results in the remaining weeks before the deadline.

Although Finau has secured two wins this season, he has had just four top-10 finishes in 20 starts. The six-time winner on the PGA Tour was further asked if he had played enough to become one of the captain's picks for the Ryder Cup or if he still had some work to do in the upcoming weeks.

Finau told reporters:

"If winning and experience hold a lot of weight, then I believe I've done enough. However, if the captains are looking for consistent form, then the answer might be different. I have four tournaments ahead to make my case, and I'll be giving it my all to show my worth for the team."

Fans hailed Finau for being honest about where he stood at the moment. Many fans opined that he could be in place of Open Champion Brian Harman or US Open Champion Wyndham Clark for the Ryder Cup 2023. A few fans suggested he could replace Justin Thomas, who has been struggling this season.

Here's a look at some of the reactions:

"A self-aware professional athlete with an excellent answer to a very good question. So refreshing. 👏👏👏👏"

"That’s a professional response. Good man"

"I would absolutely take him over harman or clark. Finau has been a top 20 golfer for several years now and neither of those other guys are near him. It’s tough because maybe clark or harman could beat him in current form, but with the 1 hit wonders you don’t know what you’ll get"

"I would take him over Clark and Harman. Majors carry way too much weight in the points."

"Tony doesn’t mince words. He knows he hasn’t been playing up to his standards as of late but that’s not going to deter him from speaking the truth"

"Great response and attitude.... Go get em Tony!!"

"Great attitude… “I’ll earn it”. One of the reasons I am a fan. No excuses from him"

"Tony deserves the spot more than JT does"

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When will Tony Finau tee off at the 3M Open, Round 1?

Tony Finau is back in action this week to defend his title at the 3M Open. Last year, he beat Emiliano Grillo and Im Sung-Jae by three strokes to win the third PGA Tour title of his career. However, he has added three more titles since then.

For the first round of the 3M Open, Finau is paired with former Masters winner Hideki Matsuyama and 151st Open joint runner-up Sepp Straka. The trio will tee off on the 10th hole on Thursday, July 27, at 8:29 am EST.