Sony Open in Hawaii: Power ranking the top ten at Waialae

HONOLULU, HI - JANUARY 15: Justin Thomas of the United States, Zach Johnson of the United States and Justin Rose of England walk to the 17th green during the final round of the Sony Open In Hawaii at Waialae Country Club on January 15, 2017 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

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HONOLULU, HI – JANUARY 14: Tony Finau of the United States plays his shot from the fifth tee during the third round of the Sony Open In Hawaii at Waialae Country Club on January 14, 2017 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

It’s hard to believe Tony Finau is still in search of his first full-field PGA Tour victory. His lone triumph was at the 2016 Puerto Rico Open and pairs with countless career top-10s.

Still just 28 years old, Finau has already teased us with how he can crush the ball. He leads the Tour in 2017-18 in driving distance (333.6 yards). No surprise there.

Perhaps more noteworthy is his 2.854 strokes gained tee-to-green (second) and 1.36 SG around-the-green (sixth). If his game is anywhere close to that well-rounded going forward, watch out.

Finau’s cashed some nice checks in the fall. He finished runner up at the Safeway Open, T26 at the CJ Cup and T11 at the WGC-HSBC Champions. This came on the heels of a Tour Championship-caliber season in which he made the cut in both of his major championship starts.

At the Sony Open, Finau has gone MC in 2015, T64 in 2016 and tied for 20th last year. Finau was in the 60s all four rounds last year and carded 64 on Thursday, but he couldn’t match the blistering pace at the top.

Finau embodies the bomb-and-gouge strategy with an errant driver, but he should fare well against Waialae’s manageable rough.

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