Finau may have made a fine football player, but he's committed to golf

By Dave Reardon

JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM

Stuart Appleby hit out of a bunker on the second hole of his second round yesterday. He shot a 4-under 66 to help him tie for the lead at 10 under with Shigeki Maruyama.

He's 6-foot-4, 190 pounds and 21 years old. It's easy to imagine Tony Finau in a college football uniform as a free safety or wide receiver.

You can bet June Jones has thought that, too.

Jones, the former Hawaii and current SMU football coach, is one of Finau's biggest fans. He also is an expert at making football players out of raw athletes in their early 20s. He did it with Ikaika Alama-Francis, who now is a linebacker for the Miami Dolphins. But Jones learned early on that Tony and his brother, Gipper, are totally dedicated to golf.

"No, he knows," Tony said with a smile after turning in his scorecard following yesterday's second round of his first Sony Open in Hawaii. "He knows we're golfers. He's helping us pursue our dreams because of his love for the Polynesian people."

Finau shot back-to-back 71s to miss the cut by plenty. But he showed flashes of brilliance on Friday and again yesterday, mostly fueled by his long drives; 300-yards-plus is routine for him.

He hit a pitching wedge 135 yards into the hole for an eagle on the 423-yard No. 3, which drew the attention of the Golf Channel.

At the 18th, Finau put himself in position for another eagle with a 335-yard drive and then a second shot from the rough that left him a 15-footer. He didn't miss by much and tapped in a 1-footer for birdie.

Finau also carded two other birdies, but will have to become more consistent with his putter to avoid the black numbers and the weekend off in future tournaments.

AND JONES — a former junior golf champ who once considered trying for the Champions Tour — is convinced there is plenty of pro golf ahead for him.

"He's special; he's going to be very good," said Jones, who is also a huge supporter of Gipper.

The Finau brothers met Jones through Kevin Kaplan, who is the executive director of the June Jones Foundation. He invited them to play in his inaugural celebrity tournament at Hokulia on the Big Island.

"He also helped us get the contract with Turtle Bay," Tony said of Jones, who is in town and followed him around the course yesterday. "He's meant a lot to us and continues to support us."

THE BROTHERS were born and raised in Utah and are of Samoan and Tongan ancestry. They have many relatives on the North Shore, including Tevita Finau, who was an all-state football player at Kahuku.