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'Pretty mentally tough' Tony Finau confounded logic to power round Augusta after horrific ankle injury

Wolverine-like recovery powers are the only way of explaining how the 28-year-old shot 68 on his Masters debut a day after dislocating his ankle.

LET’S TAKE A minute (because modern science should dedicate vastly more time than that) to appreciate the healing powers within Tony Finau’s body.

The Masters - Round One Andrew Redington Andrew Redington

The American, you’ll remember, suffered a horrific-looking ankle injury in the moments after shooting a hole-in-one during the Wednesday Par Three Contest (don’t watch if you’re squeamish about bones and breaks).

HOOA Golf / YouTube

In contact sports, when we see foot and leg pointed at such contrasting angles, the result is ordinarily the best part of a year on the sidelines. Finau managed to casually pop his ankle back into joint and — a day later! — go out and shoot a -4 round of 68 to lead on day one of his first ever Masters.

Golf isn’t a contact sport, but just getting around the 6.8km course in Augusta seemed an unlikely feat for Finau to consider yesterday morning. And yet, that left ankle and foot securely bore the weight of his swing throughout, the 28-year-old not noticeably rushing to shift back onto his right foot and only rarely showing any sign of an ailment.

While the world gasped as the sight of him casually popping his ankle back into joint on Wednesday, Finau appeared to be the only person who didn’t think he was about to pull out of the Masters injured.

“I looked forward to this week for a really long time, and to see the possibility of that slipping away (was tough),” he told reporters after the day ended with him two shots off leader Justin Spieth.

The Masters - Round One Andrew Redington Andrew Redington

“I had the confidence that I would come back, but I wanted to play now and I want to play this week. Waiting for another opportunity to play my first Masters, whether it was next year or another time, was going to be hard for me to swallow.”

So although Finau ‘could barely walk’ on Wednesday, when the MRI scan showed ‘no real damage’ – ESPN have reported it to be a high ankle sprain – he had resolved to tape up his left ankle and power on.

It has been pretty crazy. To be in this position …. nothing short of a miracle if you ask me.”

While everything appeared normal on the surface for Finau, he unquestionably felt the pain of playing with his injured ankle.

“The one thing we can’t do is hurt it more,” Finau said, admitting he wound up over-compensating in some areas because to the problem, “it definitely hurt at different points of the round.”

The Masters / YouTube

Finau gave the credit for his pain threshold to the fire-knife dancing his mother taught him as a child:

“If you catch it on the wrong side of the stick, you burn your hands,” Finau explained to the Augusta media.

“It’s kind of a hook and a knife at the top of it, so you could also cut yourself, and I did a lot of that as a kid.”

The Masters - Round One Andrew Redington Andrew Redington

“I feel like my back has been up against the wall my whole life, so something like this is just another part of the story, I guess.

“I look at myself as a pretty mentally tough person, and I think I showed that today in my round, just able to put my head down and just play.”

Spieth’s birdie run sets blistering pace at the Masters

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    Mute Hibernicus
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    Dec 15th 2023, 1:54 PM

    I like GAA too! If only I cold find a way to wriggle out of my PAYE obligations, I could then throw out a bit of the cash I’d save to my pet sport and everyone would say I’m a great fella.

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    Mute Richard Ford
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    Dec 15th 2023, 1:55 PM

    @Hibernicus: There’s always one who has nothing good to say.

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    Mute Hibernicus
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    Dec 15th 2023, 2:59 PM

    @Richard Ford: You misunderstood, I am inspired & keen to emulate the great man!

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    Mute Rocky R
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    Dec 15th 2023, 3:36 PM

    @Hibernicus: the man owns and runs a Swiss based company where he is clearly doing pretty well. This is also where he pays tax. I appreciate that might be a difficult concept to wrap your head around when you’ve likely spent your life in the one village.

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    Mute Richard Ford
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    Dec 15th 2023, 3:51 PM

    @Hibernicus: . Well then please do your very best to do so. All donations gratefully accepted Hibernicus.

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    Mute Paul Odeier
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    Dec 15th 2023, 3:59 PM

    @Hibernicus: typical

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    Mute Hibernicus
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    Dec 15th 2023, 5:53 PM

    @Paul Odeier: succinct!

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    Mute David o'shanahan
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    Dec 16th 2023, 8:49 PM

    @Hibernicus:you come across as a great fella.revenue are crying out for great fellas

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    Mute Mike Kennedy
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    Dec 15th 2023, 4:29 PM

    As I said to Shane below, we are a tax haven. Tax avoidance is the way of the world. We gratefully accept multiple billions from corporations who base their headquarters here to avoid tax. We can’t have it both ways. People be careful not to fall off their high horses.

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    Mute Shane Griffin
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    Dec 15th 2023, 2:59 PM

    Fantastic balanced journalism from the headline down, exactly why I decided to pay for a subscription.

    I look forward to the day when I can stop paying tax like all the smart people and donate an iPad to the club raffle for a gushing write-up in the local paper.

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    Mute David Staed
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    Dec 15th 2023, 4:23 PM

    @Shane Griffin: When are you expecting to become one of the smart people?

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    Mute Mike Kennedy
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    Dec 15th 2023, 4:25 PM

    @Shane Griffin: how do you feel about the fact that Ireland is a tax haven? Do you think we should send back the multiple billions we receive from tax dodging corporations every year???

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