Episode six of Full Swing focusses on Americans Tony Finau and Collin Morikawa. Stop reading now if you want to avoid spoilers for the Netflix series!
The episode gets its name from a famous Tiger Woods quote, where he said “Don’t get bitter, get better.”
Woods, the greatest player of his era and one of the best sports stars of all-time, has inspired today’s generation of players including both Finau and Morikawa.
THE TIGER EFFECT
“I think a big motivation for me I would say is a guy that we all know by the name of Tiger Woods,” Finau is heard saying at a clinic at the start of the episode.
“I started playing golf in the summer of 1997. You guys know what happened in April of 1997? Did anybody remember that?
“The ’97 Masters was so inspiring to me. I just remember everybody watching in complete awe of this Tiger Woods guy. And then I also recognised that this guy is the same skin color as I am.
“1997 Masters Tiger won, I watched that with my dad and I was like ‘you know what, I want to be like that guy.'”
It’s similar for Collin Morikawa.
“The reason why I play golf is because of Tiger,” he says. “He opened up a pathway for so many more kids that never would have thought that golf was for them.”
The episode touches on how Finau went from watching Tiger win the Masters as a child to then playing with him in the final round of the 2019 tournament and get a front row seat to see him win the Green Jacket again 22 years later.
Finau played with Tiger Woods when he won his 15th Major title at the 2019 Masters
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Finau shared a funny story of how he finally managed to speak to Woods on the 7th hole in the final round, asking him how his kids were doing and simply getting the response of – “they’re fine.” He got the gist that Woods was too focussed on the job at hand to talk.
Tony is constantly questioned in the episode of not winning enough and being too much of a family man to be one of the world’s elite players. He’s “not consumed by golf like the greatest players” a quote is heard.
FINAU THE FAMILY MAN
Full Swing gives a very intimate look into the life of Tony Finau and his family, who get the lion’s share of this episode. He and wife Alayna have five children and are travelling on the PGA Tour together in 2022 following the loss of Alayna’s father.
Is Tony’s big family, all travelling together, a distraction away from his golf? That’s a question posed and a constant narrative of this episode but it’s clear that nothing comes before family for…
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