Golf is a brutal game. One minute you are a six-time PGA Tour winner stalking the leaders, and the next, you’re the subject of a viral "yikes" clip on social media. That’s exactly what happened to Tony Finau during the third round of the 2025 Texas Children’s Houston Open.
The tony finau houston open putt miss wasn't just a standard lip-out. It was a full-blown "head-in-hands" disaster that essentially derailed his hopes of a comeback win at Memorial Park.
Honestly, it felt surreal watching it live. Finau is usually the guy you count on for cool, calm consistency. He’s won this tournament before. He knows these greens like the back of his hand. But the 15th hole had other plans.
The Meltdown at Memorial Park
Let’s set the scene for the 15th hole. It’s a par 3, and Finau walked onto the green sitting at five-under for the tournament. He wasn't leading—Min Woo Lee was busy putting on a clinic several groups ahead—but Tony was still very much in the mix.
He hit a solid tee shot to the back of the green, leaving himself about 42 feet for birdie. A two-putt par here is the goal. You take your par and you move on to the final three holes where you can maybe pick up a couple of birdies.
The first putt was fine. It trickled down and stopped 3 feet, 8 inches from the cup. On the PGA Tour, a 3-footer is basically a formality.
Then, things got weird.
Finau stepped up for the par save and pulled it slightly. The ball grazed the left edge and spun out, resting just three inches from the hole. At this point, it’s a frustrating bogey. But instead of marking the ball or taking a breath, Finau did what we’ve all done in a weekend Nassau with our friends: he tried to "rake" it in.
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Holding the putter with just his right hand, he made a casual stab at the ball. He duffed it.
The ball moved maybe two inches. It didn't even reach the hole.
The commentators were audibly shocked. "Oh! And he missed that!" was the cry from the ESPN+ booth. Suddenly, a routine par turned into a demoralizing double-bogey five.
Why the Tony Finau Houston Open Putt Miss Felt Different
We see pros miss short ones occasionally. Scottie Scheffler famously missed a 22-incher in Houston back in 2024. But this was a three-inch miss.
Statistically, the 2025 PGA Tour average for putts from three feet is 99.54%. Before this specific round, Finau was actually slightly above that average at 99.57%. He hadn't missed a single putt from inside three feet all season.
Until he did.
The Mental Toll of a Gaffe
When you’re chasing a leader like Min Woo Lee, who was basically playing a different sport that weekend, you can’t afford to give away strokes. That double bogey dropped Finau way back.
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- Distance of the miss: 3 inches (the first attempt) and then a 1-inch stub.
- The result: A four-putt double bogey on a par 3.
- The fallout: Effectively ended his chance at a seventh Tour title.
What’s interesting is how Tony handled it. Most guys would have been fuming. Finau, being the professional he is, actually birdied the next two holes immediately. He has that "Big Tone" resilience. But the damage to the scorecard was already done. He finished the day with an even-par 70, leaving him 12 shots back of the lead.
The Putting Struggle: An Ongoing Narrative?
People love to pick on Tony’s putting. It’s the easiest part of his game to criticize because his ball-striking is so elite. In 2022, when he won the Houston Open (then called the Cadence Bank Houston Open), he gained nearly eight strokes on the field with the putter.
That was an anomaly.
Usually, Tony is a "middle-of-the-pack" putter. His Strokes Gained: Putting numbers typically hover around the 70th to 80th rank on Tour. He’s not bad, but he’s not a sniper like Denny McCarthy or Malnati.
When you see a tony finau houston open putt miss like the one in 2025, it reinforces the narrative that his flatstick can go ice cold without warning. It wasn't a technical failure of his stroke; it was a "lapse in judgment," as Scheffler might call it. It was a lack of respect for the short ones.
Was There Friction on the Green?
Interestingly, this wasn't the first time Finau had a "moment" on the greens in Houston. Back in 2024, there was a weirdly tense standoff between Finau and Alejandro Tosti.
They both had long birdie putts and couldn't agree on who was "away." They basically stood there staring at each other for several minutes while the rules officials were called. John Wood, the on-course analyst, described the atmosphere as "icy."
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While that wasn't a missed putt, it showed that the Memorial Park greens have a way of getting under people's skin. The tension in Houston is real.
What We Can Learn From Tony’s Mistake
If you're a high-handicapper looking at this and thinking, "Hey, I do that too," don't feel too good about it. The difference is that Tony can follow a four-putt with back-to-back birdies. Most of us follow a four-putt by throwing our bag in the lake.
The real takeaway here is about the routine.
Finau’s miss happened because he abandoned his routine. He tried to tap it in one-handed while walking. He didn't set his feet. He didn't look at the line. He just wanted the hole to be over.
In professional golf, the moment you stop respecting the three-inchers is the moment the game bites back.
Actionable Insights for Your Own Game
If you want to avoid your own version of the tony finau houston open putt miss, here is what the data and the experts suggest:
- Never tap in one-handed: Even from three inches, use two hands. The stability of your lead hand prevents the "duff" that Finau experienced.
- Mark it if you're rattled: If you just lipped out a par save and your heart is racing, don't rush the next one. Mark the ball, take 10 seconds, and reset.
- Focus on the back of the cup: On short putts, aiming for the back of the hole helps ensure you hit it with enough pace to hold the line, even if there are spike marks.
- Trust your stats: Most amateurs miss more short putts than they realize. If you track your "Strokes Gained" via an app, you’ll likely see that your biggest losses come from inside 5 feet, not from your drives.
Tony Finau remains one of the most liked guys on Tour for a reason. He took the embarrassment on the chin, didn't make excuses, and kept playing. But for fans and bettors, that 15th hole at Memorial Park will always be a reminder of how quickly a tournament can slip through your fingers.
Next time you're on the practice green, maybe spend an extra five minutes on those "unmissable" three-footers. Even the best in the world aren't immune to a nightmare.
Next Steps for Golf Fans:
To better understand the mechanics of what went wrong, you should review the ShotLink data for Finau’s 2025 season to see if his proximity to the hole has changed, which often puts more pressure on the putting game. Additionally, watch the slow-motion replay of his "rake" attempt to see how the putter face twisted on impact—it's a masterclass in what not to do under pressure.