PGA Tour: Tony Finau finds some form to lead Erik van Rooyen at Mexico Open
Tony Finau in the final round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic
Tony Finau admits he hasn't been putting great recently, but after grabbing the lead at the Mexico Open, he warned his rivals that "things can change fast".
World number one Jon Rahm fought his way into the mix at the halfway stage of the Mexico Open, but remains six strokes behind leader Tony Finau - the man he beat to take the title a year ago.
Masters champion Rahm fought the wind and three dropped shots in two holes around the turn to finish on seven under and a tie for 12th.
"For a round that for the most part was good, there were two or three swings that were bad and that cost me a little bit too much," said Rahm after his round.
"A couple of unforced errors all week have cost me more than they should."
Finau took advantage of the calmer early conditions to go one better than his opening round with a seven-under-par 64 and will be hoping for a repeat of last year's change of fortunes at the Vidanta course.
He arrived at that tournament without a top-15 finish ahead of three wins and while he has not missed a cut this season, his best finish is seventh in January.
Job's not finished for solo leader @TonyFinauGolf ? pic.twitter.com/sWYo5Z5DgF
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 29, 2023
He said: "Sometimes you've got to ride the waves with your putter throughout a season. I haven't putted it great over the last couple of months, but things change fast.
"This was a place where a lot of things changed for me last season."
Finau's round was matched by fellow American Brandon Wu, who tied with him for second a year ago and sits a shot behind alongside South African Erik van Rooyen.
The English challenge faltered on the second day, Ben Taylor and Harry Hall adding a second round 70 and 71 respectively to their opening 67s.
