Finau edges Smith in playoff to capture Northern Trust
Tony Finau edged Cameron Smith on the first playoff hole to win the Northern Trust on Monday at Liberty National for the second victory of his PGA TOUR career.
The final pair went to the playoff tied at 20-under after 72 holes. Finau smashed his drive down the middle of the fairway to open the playoff and Smith sliced his tee shot out of bounds, effectively ending his chances at a victory.
Finau's triumph came 143 starts after his first. Over that span, which dates back to 2016, the 31-year-old recorded eight runner-ups and 39 top-10s, according to PGA TOUR communications.
He vaulted himself into contention Monday with a sizzling 30 on his back nine, which included a birdie-eagle-birdie stretch on holes 12-14.
Here's a look at how the top of the leaderboard ended up:
| Position | Player | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tony Finau | -20 |
| 2 | Cameron Smith | -20 |
| 3 | Jon Rahm | -18 |
| T-4 | Alex Noren | -15 |
| T-4 | Tom Hoge | -15 |
| T-4 | Justin Thomas | -15 |
The Northern Trust was the first event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. The three-leg conclusion to the season continues next week with the BMW Championship at Caves Valley.