What started as a beautiful moment for Tony Finau with his family, turned ugly after Finau dislocated his ankle while celebrating a hole-in-one during the Masters Par 3 Tournament. The above video shows the hole-in-one then Finau’s ankle buckled as he ran down the green. Finau appeared to pop his ankle back into place seconds after the injury.
Tony Finau just:
• Sank a hole-in-one. 👍
• Celebrated accordingly. 😊
• Dislocated his ankle while celebrating. 😱
• Popped it back into place. 😳
What a wild moment at #TheMasters Par 3 Contest.
🎥: @cjzero
The freak injury puts Finau’s status for the Masters in question, but Finau is still hoping to play. Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis reported Finau dislocated his ankle on the fall.
“Indeed @tonyfinaugolf did dislocate his left ankle today during the Par 3 contest but immediately put it back in place. X-rays tonight revealed no breaks. Will have an MRI tomorrow morning. If results are positive and swelling is under control will try to play @TheMasters,” Lewis tweeted.
Finau quoted Lewis’ post, and noted he is “optimistic” on his availability for his scheduled tee time at 12:43 p.m. Eastern. His status depends on how the ankle looks in the hours leading up to Round 1.
“Crazy day. Thanks for thoughts of concern, messages and prayers from all. I’m optimistic,” Finau tweeted.
Finau was one of Heavy’s sleepers to contend in the 2018 Masters. It would mark Finau’s debut performance at Augusta, but Finau has the tools needed to compete at the Masters. Notably, Finau’s driving ability is as good as any golfer on tour. Finau ranks 11th in strokes gained: tee-to-green, 17th in strokes gained: approach-the-green and 22nd in strokes gained: total.
The Masters was the tournament that introduced Finau to golf as he grew up watching Tiger Woods compete at Augusta. Finau spoke to ESPN about Woods’ influence on him learning to play golf.
“To see him do what he did, I could relate to him,” Finau told ESPN. “Obviously how exciting he was, but someone with a bit of color playing this game. That’s when I was like, maybe I can play golf. If he can do it, so can I.”
Like many golfers, the Masters is the one tournament Finau has wanted to play.
“Needless to say, the Masters is the tournament I’d like to play in and win the most,” Finau wrote in a Golf Digest blog. “I’ve never seen it in person and wouldn’t go even if you gave me tickets, because I made a promise to myself as a kid that I wouldn’t go until I played my way there. It’s the only tournament I watch on TV, and I watch it all four days. I always wear a green shirt on Sundays, and I have in mind a shade that would go well with a green jacket.”
Hopefully, Finau is able to play this week, but he would not be the first golfer to miss the Masters after a random accident. Dustin Johnson fell down the stairs in his Augusta rental home, and was a late scratch for the 2017 Masters. Finau continued playing the final few holes of the Par 3 contest, and his agent tells ESPN that Finau plans on playing.
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WATCH: Tony Finau Injures Ankle During Hole-in-One Celebration