Finau fends off Smith at Liberty National

 Tony Finau earns his second career win, moves to No. 1 in FedExCup standings. Finau fends off Smith at Liberty National [View Online]( [PGA TOUR Starter Logo] Tony Finau earned his second career win and first in 143 starts. (Keyur Khamar/PGA TOUR) Teeing Off [FINAU FANTASTIC TO START FEDEXCUP PLAYOFFS]( It seemed like everything was against Tony Finau on Monday at THE NORTHERN TRUST. He has come close to winning so many times since his victory five years ago at the Puerto Rico Open. And here he was again, in the mix, but perhaps being on the verge of being snake bitten again and dropping to 1-4 in playoffs. But this time, he bit back. Finau defeated Cameron Smith on the [first playoff hole at Liberty National to win]( the opening event of the FedExCup Playoffs and jumped to [No. 1 in the standings](. “It feels amazing. It took about everything I had,” said Finau, who shot a final-round 65, including a back-nine 30. “I just fought and it’s pretty cool to be standing here winning a golf tournament again.” And yes, it’s been a bit. 1,975 days, in fact. But none of that matters now since he’s the one everyone is chasing as the FedExCup Playoffs continue. [divider] [BALTIMORE WELCOMES BMW]( Crab cakes and crazy good golf. That’s what Maryland does. At least for one week at Caves Valley Golf Club as [Baltimore hosts the BMW Championship](. The second leg of the FedExCup Playoffs features the top 70 golfers in the [FedExCup standings]( including Jon Rahm and Dustin Johnson who had an [epic playoff battle]( at last season’s BMW Championship before Rahm emerged as the champ. Olympic Gold medalist Xander Schauffele, two-time FedExCup champion Rory McIlroy, past FedExCup winners Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth, plus Player of the Year candidates Collin Morikawa, Harris English and Bryson DeChambeau are in the field. It will be a special week no matter what for JT and his [legendary caddie Jimmy Johnson](, who is set to be inducted into the Caddie Hall of Fame on Wednesday. PGA TOUR golf returns to Baltimore for the first time since 1962, teeing it up at Caves Valley for the first time. The Tom Fazio design opened in 1991 and has played host to the U.S. Senior Open, the Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS Championship, and the first International Crown on the LPGA Tour. FedExCup points are again quadrupled with 2,000 points on offer for the winner before [Starting Strokes]( are used at the TOUR Championship. Video Of The Week Tony Finau makes eagle after stellar approach from over 200 yards. The Turn MIC CHECK “Despite the tidal wave of emotions that comes with trying to understand things from Jarrod’s perspective, one thing stands out to me every time – he lived a huge life… I know for sure that Jarrod’s spirit lives on in our girls, but it also continues to live in the world of golf. And it’s not going away any time soon.” - Briony Lyle, wife of Jarrod Lyle, [remembering her late husband]( on what would have been his 40th birthday. [divider] BY THE NUMBERS 2 - Sensational [eagle hole-outs]( (back-to-back, no less) for Jordan Spieth on Friday at Liberty National. It was the first time in 743 TOUR rounds that Spieth has had back-to-back eagles and only the second time with multiple eagles in one round. 70 - Phil Mickelson makes it to Caves Valley on the number at 70 in the FedExCup standings despite missing the cut at THE NORTHERN TRUST. 71 - Matthew Wolff barely misses out on Baltimore after finishing 71st in the standings. He also missed the cut at Liberty National. 3 - Consecutive weeks the PGA TOUR has had a playoff. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [YouTube]( [TERMS & PRIVACY]( To remove yourself from all future PGA TOUR WIRE2WIRE communications please click here: [Unsubscribe]( PGA TOUR 1 PGA TOUR Boulevard Ponte Vedra, FL 32082 Attn: Marketing, Fan Engagement ©2021 PGA TOUR WIRE2WIRE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED