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PGA Tour: Tony Finau being sued for nearly $16 million

By Tim Letcher

MAMARONECK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 19: Tony Finau of the United States plays his shot from the second tee during the third round of the 120th U.S. Open Championship on September 19, 2020 at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
MAMARONECK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 19: Tony Finau of the United States plays his shot from the second tee during the third round of the 120th U.S. Open Championship on September 19, 2020 at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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A former business associate is suing PGA Tour professional Tony Finau for approximately $16 million in a lawsuit filed in Utah last week.

Tony Finau has had an outstanding career already on the PGA Tour. Since joining the big tour in 2015, Finau has nearly $20 million in earnings alone, not to mention his endorsement deals, which are on top of that amount.

Now Finau, and his brother Gipper, are being sued by a former business associate for nearly $16 million. According to the Deseret News, Molonai Hola sued the brothers in their home state of Utah, with the lawsuit stating that Hola is owed the money after he paid the family’s expenses for several years. Hola claims that he was promised that he would be paid back.

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Hola’s suit claims that the expenses he covered totaled $592,371.37 over the course of several years. His suit indicates that he expects to be paid back, with interest, a number that comes close to $16 million. He claims that he was promised 20 percent of Finau’s career earnings.

This arrangement is not uncommon among young professional golfers who are in need of individual or corporate “sponsorships” to cover the cost of traveling and entering events on lower tours. The majority of these arrangements involve the sponsors to be reimbursed, often with interest, for sponsoring a young player early in his career.

The suit has not been proven in any way at this time and this could turn out to be a whole lot of nothing. However, if there is any merit to the suit, it would certainly be a bad look for Finau and his family.

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Finau has only won once on tour, and that came at the 2016 Puerto Rico Open. However, he does have 40 top 10 finishes in 165 career starts, including six runner-up finishes and three third-place showings.

Again, whether the suit has any merit or not will be decided the the courts. If it ends up that Finau loses to Hola, it could be a costly verdict for the 31-year-old standout.

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