Tony Finau and his son at TPC Sawgrass.
Finau Fresh on Instagram
Hello friends and happy moving day from TPC Sawgrass! I’m pleased to report that after getting caught without a rain jacket in a torrential downpour on Friday evening, there is not a cloud in the sky today at the Players Championship.
Before we get into all the action, I’d like to take a moment to appreciate these awesome photos from my coworker, Darren Riehl. Darren caught Smylie Kaufman red-handed working on his move while on-course reporting from TPC Sawgrass on Thursday afternoon. Talk about dedication to your craft!
I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t seen a handful of media members working on their swings from the media center this week. Keep up the good work, guys.
The Finau family
I should honestly just have a recurring “Finau family” section in the Rogers Report, because they’re always up to something on social media. I had the absolute honor of chatting with Tony earlier in the week (a conversation that consisted mainly of him telling me he likes my sister’s Netflix reviews on Twitter). Then I ran into Layna next to the Sawgrass clubhouse on Friday, where I told her I’m a huge fan of her TikToks.
Layna Finau’s celebrity is on the rise — maybe from TikTok, maybe from her Netflix appearance, or perhaps a little bit of both — and it led to this awesome moment on the course on Friday.
Alora Finau
Tony this, Tony that! I, for one, am glad to see Layna getting some (long overdue) celebrity attention! And because the Finaus are absolute content machines, they blessed us with this video on Saturday morning from right outside the TPC Sawgrass clubhouse.
Props to Tony for being a full-time content creator with a golf gig on the side. Choreographing these dances isn’t easy! I don’t want to get my hopes up, but I’d love to see other players getting in on these videos as well. Just saying, now’s the time for the Spieths to get started prepping something similar for the PNC Championship.
A Players-week baby
Ben An and his wife, Jamie, welcomed their second child on Tuesday … in South Korea. Almost immediately after their new arrival, An was en route to the departures line at the airport, where he hopped on a flight to the U.S. for the Players Championship. Luckily, An made the cut at the Players Championship, because it would’ve been a serious bummer to travel all that way (alone!) only to leave TPC Sawgrass empty-handed.
Adorable! Congrats to the An family, and to the PGA Tour for what’s like, the 20th Tour kid born in the last 18 months.
Jordan Spieth’s luck
Despite playing in an all-star group, Jordan Spieth found himself wrangling with the cut line on Friday afternoon. After a few touch-and-go moments, he reached the weekend at TPC Sawgrass thanks to a spectator’s kneecap (and an awesome chip-in) on his 36th and final hole.
Spieth says he’ll give the guy whatever he wants this weekend, which begs the question — how much does Spieth actually mean that? If I’m the guy who got hit, my starting offer is 5 percent of Spieth’s weekend earnings and a dinner or two with some pros. I’m sure he’ll settle for a signed glove and a photo with the three-time major champion, but if the victim of the stray ball is reading this, I have advice: now’s the time to push your luck!
Trevor Lawrence sighting!
Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence was in the house to follow all of the action on No. 17 at TPC Sawgrass on Friday. He watched primarily from the safety of box seats, but he certainly didn’t fly under the radar — every time I looked over, he was signing an autograph or taking a picture with a fan.
Honestly, taking photos at golf tournaments is half the fun of going, so I’m sure he had a great day.
The wind is supposed to pick up this weekend, so hopefully Lawrence brings a hair tie if he’s planning on stopping by for moving day.
Mesmerizing lawn mowers
There are lots of ways to relax. Some people read, do yoga or meditate. But some people (me) are hyperactive, and for us, there are videos like this one.
Waiting for the mowing patterns to perfectly align is the grown-up version of the DVD logo hitting the corner of your television. PEAK satisfaction. I could watch the grounds crew do their thing for hours.
A day in the life at the Players Championship
Last but certainly not least, I invite each and every one of you to spend the day at the Players with my coworkers and me via this video!
