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Tony Finau shoots down LIV rumors, says Hero WD was injury-related
Sam Hodde
Rumors swirled on social media this week that Tony Finau was LIV Golf-bound following his withdrawal from Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas. On Wednesday, Finau shot down the speculation when he gave an exclusive interview to Golfweek's Adam Schupak.
"They're not true," Finau said of the LIV rumors, adding that the sources who were speculating on the matter were "random people" and "not credible."
"I'm more than happy where I'm at on the PGA Tour and looking forward to 2025," Finau told Schupak (you can read that full story here). "When I tee it up in Maui [at The Sentry], it will all go away, so, I don't worry about it one bit."
Finau told Golfweek the actual reason for his withdrawal from Tiger Woods' event at Albany this week is injury-related. The six-time PGA Tour winner underwent surgery in October to repair a torn meniscus and remove cartilage in his left knee. It was an injury Finau says bothered him much of last season despite the fact he was still able to rack up 13 top-20 finishes in 2024, including a T-3 in the U.S. Open at Pinehurst.
The 35-year-old said he'll be "ready to rock and roll" in Hawaii next month for the tour's 2025 opener.
"From what my doctor told me it was pretty standard clean up," he said. "He said it would be helpful and so I did it."
Finau said he personally called Woods to let him know he would have to pull out of the Hero. Woods, who has gone under the knife a few times himself, told Finau that he "would have done the same thing."
As of now, Finau is slated to play in next week's Grant Thornton Invitational alongside teammate Nelly Korda, though he told Schupak his status for that event is 50-50. While the knee has progressed nicely, he's still having trouble physically getting out of bunkers as well as putting his weight on his left leg on bunker shots.
"That’s my biggest issue right now," he said. "I’ll go over and practice the next couple of days and see how I feel and make a decision."