When Tony Finau teed it up on Thursday at the 3M Open, he had a familiar face carrying his bag. It just wasn’t the usual familiar face.
That’s because it was Boyd Summerhays, Finau’s longtime coach, who was on looping duties after Finau split with his caddie Greg Bodine following the Memorial Tournament.
After his round, Finau explained how it was difficult to part ways with Bodine, who had been on his bag since the 2014-15 season — Finau’s first on the PGA Tour.
“Yeah, I think me and my caddie and I had a great run. We were together for six years and it’s a tough thing, you know. On a personal level I love the guy and on a business level I felt it was time for a change in my situation and something just different.”
The duo had plenty of success over their half-decade on Tour. Finau became a PGA Tour winner, made Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup teams and climbed inside the world top 10, all with Bodine on the bag.
Of late, though, Finau has been looking to take the extra step from regular contender to regular winner on Tour. Finau has logged seven runner-up finishes in the last three years and has had countless close calls, including a heartbreaking playoff loss to Webb Simpson at this year’s Waste Management Phoenix Open.
At the Memorial, Finau held the lead midway through Saturday’s round before struggling on the way in. (“Yeah, it was good, and then it wasn’t good,” he said.) He shot 78 on Sunday from the penultimate pairing to finish 8th. The split with Bodine came after that round.
“Unfortunately, our relationship business-wise has ended, but I look forward to getting somebody on the bag and making another great run,” Finau continued.
Tony Finau says he’s going to start absolutely crushing tee shots
For one week, that job falls to Summerhays. It’s fitting timing considering what the two have been working on of late, tapping into Finau’s tremendous power off the tee (Summerhays recently filmed Finau hitting 206 miles per hour ball speed) and playing rounds together at home in Utah (where Summerhays documented Finau’s home-course 59).
“I’ve had him in the past carry my bag and it’s nice to have him see things up close, I think, inside the ropes. Just with everything going on, you can’t really watch, so the best way I think for a coach to see it is maybe inside the ropes, so a little change this week,” Finau said. “He didn’t do a lot of talking. I told him just kind of hold the bag and play nicely and I’ll call him in when I need him.”
The approach certainly worked. Finau fired a smooth 65, logging seven birdies against a single bogey to sit two shots off the lead.
Finau insisted that the partnership with Summerhays was “just a one-week thing.” That means the next guy on the bag will be looking after a player in fine form.