Monday Leaderboard: How do you miss a three-inch putt?
Disaster for Tony Finau. (Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Welcome to the Monday Leaderboard, where we run down the weekend's top stories in the wonderful world of golf. Grab an Arnold Palmer, pull up a chair and prepare to cringe …
1. Tony Finau misses a tap-in?
This one hurts. Tony Finau was three feet from the cup on the par-3 15th at the Texas Children's Houston Open on Saturday, about to roll in for a standard par. But the three-footer missed, lipping around the cup … and then it got worse. So much worse. Finau attempted to tap in the three-incher … and left it an inch short.
He signed for a 5, and could have even been tagged with a penalty stroke for standing astride the putting line. There are mistakes you repeat, and there are mistakes you learn from, and it's likely Finau – who finished T32 – will learn from this one. The payout difference between his position and the one a stroke ahead of him was about $16,000, making that one costly little inch.
2. Min Woo Lee's big Houston win
Few challenges in golf in 2025 are scarier than seeing Scottie Scheffler growing in your rear-view mirror. But that's exactly what Min Woo Lee faced on Sunday at the Houston Open as his five-stroke back-nine lead shrunk to just one. Credit Lee, then, for remaining steady on the final hole to keep Scheffler and Gary Woodland one stroke back.
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Despite late birdie flurries from Scheffler and Woodland, Lee needed just a par to win on 18. When he nestled up close, he had a little fun with the moment, pretending to test the slope of the green:
Hey, he laughed, but look what happened to Finau. The victory is Lee's first on the PGA Tour, and he ought to be a popular winner in days and years to come.
3. Tosti's pace-of-play issue
One person perhaps not enamored with Lee's victory: playing partner Alejandro Tosti, who complained several times about Lee's pace of play. And he may have had a point; Lee, Tosti and Ryan Fox took an astounding 30 minutes to play the 8th hole on Sunday, largely because Lee spent so much time trying to figure out an approach shot. NBC cameras later caught Tosti walking well behind Lee on the 12th hole, so far back that he appeared to be slowing down the entire group … right as Lee was trying to hold off a charge from Scheffler.
Tosti would go on to finish T5, five strokes behind Lee.
4. Eugenio Chacarra: Life after LIV
Eugenio Chacarra made a nice little paycheck while playing on the LIV Golf tour, but when he wasn't re-signed after last season, he was a man without a tour. The PGA Tour wouldn't let him return, so he opted for the DP World Tour, and on Sunday, it paid off. Chacarra won the Hero Indian Open by two strokes, his first victory since August 2023.
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Chacarra played three years on Sergio Garcia's Fireballs GC team, but wasn't offered a contract for 2025. Rather than sign with another LIV team, he opted to attempt a return to the PGA Tour, which will take at least a year from his last LIV event. 'I see what it's like to win on the PGA Tour and how your life changes, how you get major access and ranking points,' Chacarra told the Flushing It podcast last year. 'On LIV, nothing changes; there is only money. It doesn't matter if you finish 30th or first, only money. I'm not a guy who wants more money. What will change my life is playing in Hawaii and qualifying for the majors, qualifying for the Masters, the Ryder Cup.' He's on his way, and if he finishes in the top 10 on the DP World Tour this season, a PGA Tour card will be waiting for him.
5. Rory McIlroy lowers expectations heading into The Masters
The Masters begins in just over a week, and all eyes will be on Rory McIlroy as he tries, yet again, to 1. Win the Masters. 2. Complete the career Grand Slam. 3. Win a major for the first time in more than a decade. So yeah, there's just a bit of pressure heading into the first major of the year. On Sunday, just after finishing T5 — yet another strong finish this season — McIlroy sounded a bit measured about his right elbow and the state of his overall game.
'Still feel like I've got some stuff to work on,' he said after his round Sunday. 'Still don't think my game is absolutely 100 percent under the control I would want, but it's nice to have a week to work on some things.' Precaution or expectation-lowering? Your call. We'll find out soon enough if McIlroy's game is ready for Augusta.
Mulligan of the Week: Don't anger the turtles
Golf is a weird as hell sport. I mean, you're not going to be facing turtles on an NFL field or an NBA court. And you're certainly not going to see what happens next. Tip: Use caution when handling any wildlife, even the slow-moving ones. Viewer discretion: If you don't wish to see a turtle answering nature's call, don't click.
Coming this week: Valero Texas Open (PGA Tour), Miami (LIV Golf), T-Mobile Match Play (LPGA, Las Vegas). And then, next week ... azaleas.
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