Tony Finau blitzed Plainfield Country Club for eight birdies en route to a 5-under-par 34-31=65 in today's opening round of The Barclays, good for a share of the clubhouse lead.
He's the first of the foursome atop the leaderboard who played in the afternoon wave. After opening on the back side birdie-birdie-birdie, Finau then bogeyed the next three holes to return to even. However, he played the remainder in bogey-free 5-under. His longest conversion of the loop measured jut 14 feet at the par-4 18th hole, the middle of another string of three consecutive birdies. He hit 12 greens on the round and led the field in putts per GIR (1.417) at last check. The rookie entered his Playoffs debut as the 39-seed and on the short list for Rookie of the Year honors. With five top 10s and another 10 top 25s thus far, he's deserving.
