It wasn’t just that Tony Finau won the Mexico Open at Vidanta on Sunday.
It was how he did it and whom he beat.
Finau, without a top-10 finish since January, stared down world No. 1 Jon Rahm, rolling to a three-stroke victory that strengthened the notion Finau may be finding his form as the PGA Tour schedule rolls into a stretch thick with big events.
“I played great golf all week,” Finau said after his sixth career PGA Tour victory. “I knew (Sunday) was going to be a tall task going against Rahmbo and the form he’s been in.”
By the end, Rahm had an arm on Finau’s shoulder, smiling and sharing in his friend’s success. Though Finau’s results hadn’t put him on many leaderboards recently, the Mexico Open was his 12th consecutive made cut and his fourth win in his last 18 starts.
Not bad for a guy who three years ago was being asked when he would start winning.
It was a runner-up finish in the Mexico Open last year that kick-started the 33-year-old Finau on the best run of his PGA Tour career.
“After that, I played great golf all season,” he said. “Hopefully, it propels me to more things like that.”
Taking a two-stroke lead into the final round, Finau closed with a 5-under 66 on Sunday for a 24-under 260 total, keeping Rahm at arm’s length throughout the day.
What has changed for Finau to spark four wins in less than a year?
“On Sunday out here, I’ve learned you have to be aggressive; you have to make birdies,” said Finau, who improved from No. 16 to No. 11 in the Official World Golf Ranking, nearing his career high of ninth in late 2021. “My mindset on Sunday has changed. That’s my nature anyway, to be an aggressive player, and Sundays are starting to shape up better for me when I’ve been in contention.”
For Rahm, who shot 61 in the third round and was looking to build on what is already an exceptional season, it was a near-miss.
“It's a great reminder that what you've done means absolutely nothing. You still have to go out there and do it. It's also good so you don't think too much of yourself, right?” Rahm said.
“Obviously I wanted to win, but it's a reminder that everybody out here is a great player, and Tony came out with a two-shot lead and played fantastic golf. I feel like had I been able to pressure him a little more, we would have seen more birdies from Tony.”
Ron Green Jr.