If there was a single moment cemented in golf fans brains from the 2018 Masters, it’s not Patrick Reed donning the green jacket. Instead, it has to be the gut-churning clip of Tony Finau dislocating his ankle while celebrating a hole-in-one at the Masters Par-3 Contest.
But that disastrous moment led to a hilarious one on Wednesday.
When Finau arrived at this year’s Masters Par-3 Contest, he came prepared with a device to protect his ankle from a repeat at all costs.
Before Finau hit his tee shot on the hole where he injured his ankle last year, his wife and temporary caddie Alayna Finau pulled a strange-looking shoe out of her bag.
Finau announced to the crowd, “Time to put the shoe on,” then he sat down, took off his left golf shoe, and replaced it with the new shoe his wife brought along.
But this was no normal golf shoe. It was a dark green Nike high-top that appeared to have added support for his formerly injured ankle. Finau then stood up with the green high-top on one foot, and his normal white golf shoe on the other, and proceeded to hit his shot.
.@TonyFinaugolf came prepared for the Par 3 Contest this year. pic.twitter.com/vEXwv9opeZ
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 10, 2019
So what gives? It turns out Finau and Nike teamed together to concoct the ankle-protecting golf shoe, which they have dubbed the Finau 1.
And no, we won’t see Finau wearing the new Finau 1 regularly on Tour going forward, because it was all part of a joke to commemorate what has to be the most embarrassing, but most lasting memory from Finau’s first Masters.
Nike released a spoof video on Instagram explaining the origins of the Finau 1, with a pretty respectable appearance by Finau himself.
By all reports, Finau survived this year’s Masters Par-3 Contest without breaking any bones, so he should have a great chance to contend for his first major title starting tomorrow. He tees off for the first round of the Masters on Thursday at 9:58 a.m. ET… provided he maintains his current unbroken state between now and then.
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