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Finau's excellent round sets up dramatic finish at Canadian Open

TORONTO — Tony Finau took Shane Lowry’s recommendation and headed to Hy’s Steakhouse for dinner on Friday night in downtown Toronto, where he ate a meal he called “unbelievable,” and then Finau woke up on Saturday and he played exactly that way himself.

Finau led the field at the Canadian Open with an unbelievable 8-under par 62, catapulting him to the top of the leaderboard heading into Sunday’s finale at St. George’s Golf and Country Club, tied for the lead with defending champion, Rory McIlroy.

“Yeah, I played nicely,” Finau said, grinning beneath the brim of a white Nike hat, shortly after he signed his scorecard. “I didn’t finish the way I wanted to yesterday, and I think all it did was kind of light a fire in my belly to get after it today. That’s pretty much what I did. I made some birdies and I just played really clean golf.”

The 32-year-old American drained his seventh birdie putt of the day on No. 18 to the delight of thousands of fans watching, and he bent his knees to help will that ball into the hole. But it was the long eagle putt he nailed on No. 9 that got Finau thinking, as he put it, “Oh, wow, we’re climbing up that leaderboard.” And climb he did, after starting the day with a two-round score of three-under-par. He now co-leads at 11-under.

“Any time you’re at the top of the leaderboard and have a chance to win on a Sunday on the PGA Tour, it’s exciting,” said Finau, who’s looking for his third win on Tour. “So I’m happy with the round.”

Finau, a father of three, is very familiar with Canada. He played the PGA Tour Canada back in 2013 and drove all over the country. “So it does feel almost like a home game. I definitely get a lot of love from the fans, which is pretty amazing,” he said. “I can tell they have been locked up a little bit over the last couple years.”

More than a couple of fans yelled from the crowd that Finau was the best-dressed golfer in the field. The six-foot-four Finau, dressed head to toe in Nike and wearing bright white shoes and a pink-and-white striped shirt, hears that a fair bit. “A lot of people like my swag,” he said. “It’s great to hear. Again, I appreciate the love out here in Canada. I definitely feel it, I hear it, I feel the energy, so it’s nice to be back out here, and I’m looking forward to performing in front of them tomorrow.”

Speaking of tomorrow (Sunday), it’s shaping up to be quite the finish. The top of the leaderboard at the Canadian Open sure is top-heavy. While world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler finished at even-par on Saturday to remain at four-under, the top four golfers through three rounds here are all inside the top 20 in the world, with Finau (No. 18,) McIlroy (No. 8), Justin Thomas (No. 6) and Sam Burns (No. 9).

Thomas, who’ll play in the top group Sunday alongside Finau and McIlroy, also shot the lights out Saturday, carding a seven-under-par 63, leaving him two shots back. Thomas grinned as he thought about the support he’s been getting this week. He played his first two rounds alongside McIlroy and Corey Conners, the top-ranked Canadian here.

“I don’t know why it’s happening, but I’m very appreciative of the fan support here in Toronto,” said Thomas, who’s from Kentucky. “I said to Rory and [Corey] yesterday, that it felt like a major a little bit out there. It’s bizarre.”

Bizarre in a way the 15-time winner on Tour quite likes, of course. Especially given the happenings in the golf world lately, with players like Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson leaving the PGA Tour for the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational, and Johnson even surrendering his PGA Tour membership. Thomas is encouraged to see so many of the world’s best in contention here.

“Obviously with everything going on — this week was going to be very special, regardless,” he said. “Without sounding cheesy, it makes me pretty happy inside seeing this. There’s no other place I would want to be playing and obviously with a tournament like this and the history that it has and how long it’s been played, has a lot of great past champions and venues and drama. And it looks like it has potential tomorrow to produce a little bit more of that and create some more history.”

McIlroy, who narrowly missed a birdie putt on 18 that would’ve given him sole possession of the lead, said he doesn’t remember the last time he played in a tournament with galleries quite as loud and raucous as the ones here. His ears were ringing on No. 16 as fans banged the hockey boards surrounding the tee box at the Rink Hole.

“I mean it's certainly the best atmosphere of any golf tournament going on this week,” McIlroy said, clearly referring to the inaugural LIV Golf event that’s been happening in London. “The crowd support is incredible and yeah, I'm pretty sure what's going to happen over the final 18 holes here is going to be more entertaining than what other golf was played this week anywhere else.”

The top Canadian heading into Sunday is Nick Taylor, who’s T15 after carding a three-under-par 67 on Saturday to improve to five-under. He’s six back of the leaders. Conners, of Listowel, Ont., had a solid day, carding a 66 to move to four-under, seven back of Finau and McIlroy.

Finau, McIlroy and Thomas tee off Sunday at 12:51 p.m. ET. Finau plans to warm up while listening to Drake. Controlla is one of his favourite songs.

“That’s probably the one that might be on repeat tomorrow morning,” he said.

Another unbelievable dinner in Toronto, a few Drake warm-up tunes and another unbelievable round might be just what it takes for Finau to win Canada’s national open.

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