What Tony Finau struggles with most as a dad

Tony Finau may be a star golfer, but he struggles with some of the same parenting issues as any other dad.

During an interview at this week’s Presidents Cup , Finau talked about how hard it is to teach his kids the value of grit, especially since they regularly enjoy the perks of his PGA Tour career.

“It’s extremely hard. ... My kids have a lot different life than I had,” Finau said, according to a video of his comments shared by Dylan Dethier from Golf Magazine.

Finau described trying to help one of his sons launch his own professional golf career and how hard it is to create an environment where his son feels the same kind of motivating pressure that he felt 25 years ago.

“It’s not easy though because we’re working at the course and then we can go eat at a steakhouse later,” Finau said.

Tony Finau’s family

Growing up in the Rose Park neighborhood in Salt Lake City, Finau, now 35, couldn’t afford new golf clubs, let alone regular rounds at a private golf club.

He and his brother, Gipper, would hit balls into a mattress in their garage to practice. They’d go to a local course with their dad whenever the local pro let them play for free.

Finau couldn’t have made it through that unusual training regime to the PGA Tour without his family’s financial sacrifices.

In a 2020 video project with the PGA Tour, Finau explained how his mom, Vena, once skipped a meal during a tournament to ensure he had everything he needed for his burgeoning golf career.

“I’m grateful for my mom, the sacrifices she made and everything she’s done for me in my life,” Finau said in the video, as the Deseret News previously reported.

Tony Finau on Steph Curry and LeBron James

Today, Finau is trying to help his kids feel a similar type of urgency to succeed.

“I felt the pressure as a kid, you know. My parents were giving up everything that they had,” he said during this week’s interview.

Finau noted that his own success as a golfer is not the only obstacle affecting his efforts to teach his kids about grit.

He also worries about the impact of social media. On social media, all you see is the finished product, Finau said. You don’t see what it took to get there.

“They’re seeing the finished products of Steph Curry or LeBron James. It’s so hard for me to tell them ... about the thousands or millions of hours (Curry or James) put in to get where they are. That’s really what it’s about,” Finau said.

Presidents Cup 2024

Competitive play in the 2024 Presidents Cup began Thursday, and Finau is taking part in the opening round of four-ball matchups.

In a four-ball round, two Americans and two international competitors square off. The two people on the same team each play their own ball, but only the lowest of their two scores on each hole is counted.

Finau is playing with Xander Schauffele against Jason Day and Byeong-Hun An, according to PGATour.com .

Ahead of the match, the PGA Tour released a silly video showing Finau describing his favorite fast-food restaurants.

He praised McDonald’s breakfast and Subway’s tuna sandwich, among other items.