Tony Finau on Jordan Golf Shoes and Finau Fresh Instagram Account

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Labels like “people’s champion” and “regular guy” have been attached to Tony Finau ever since he became a consistent presence in pro golf during the late 2010s, but rarely do you get an opportunity to examine a reputation like that first-hand. After all, it’s in a pro athlete’s favor to be on their best behavior around the media and fans.

Our interview with Finau was scheduled for the Tuesday after the Open Championship where he failed to make it to the weekend this year. So on Saturday morning while Xander Schauffele was on his way to victory on the opposite coast of Scotland, Finau was catching a flight home from Edinburgh. That’s where we spotted all 6 feet 4 inches of him at the airport, dressed in a blue Nike tracksuit, Air Maxes and flat brim hat. After checking in, passengers with oversized luggage (like golf bags) are asked to roll their travel cases over to a separate area. So we followed behind the big man from Utah and while waiting to place our bag on the conveyor belt, took the opportunity to say hello and mention that we would be speaking together early the following week.

Unlike some professional golfers, finding topics of conversation to have with Finau isn’t difficult. Some know him as the guy who dislocated his ankle celebrating a hole-in-one at the Masters par-3 contest, only to laugh it off later. Others know him for wearing a Kobe Bryant jersey in competition after the basketball legend’s tragic death, while others may simply recognize him as the guy who wears the Air Jordan 1 Low Golf. Indeed, fans of the Jumpman and its exploits across the golf sphere always have their eyes on Finau to see which kicks he might turn up in on any given week. And while there’s a lot more to him than liking cool shoes, he recognizes that his journey with Nike and Jordan has given him an aura that few golfers have.

Our conversation with the six-time PGA TOUR champion covered the charity tournament that he hosts in his home state, how his AJ1 Low differs from the factory version and why his wife started the “Finau Fresh” Instagram account, among other topics.

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Hypegolf: We saw you in the Edinburgh Airport lugging your bag to oversized, do you typically fly commercial rather than private or does it depend on the week?

Tony Finau: For the most part I use my private hours for my family. So if I’m flying alone I’ll mostly be flying commercial, that’s just how I’ve always been. My dad worked for Delta Air Lines pretty much my whole childhood, so I knew all about that standby life and trying to get on connections, and my mom was a master at that.

But anyways I don’t fly private nearly as much. I usually use those hours for my wife and my kids if they’re making it out to me. So probably commercial more than private.

You’re at the 3M Open this week, then you’re hosting a tournament the following week in Utah. So can you just tell us a little bit about that event?

Yeah we’re going on 10 years now with the Tony Finau Foundation Pro-Am, which is our biggest fundraiser and it’s been great. We’re partnered with the Utah Championship, which is the Korn Ferry Tour [PGA TOUR's development circuit] event in Utah, so we’re the beneficiary of that tournament.

And so we host our pro-am on the Monday of the Utah Championship, so as soon as I’m done here Sunday in Minnesota, I’ll fly back home and host that tournament. It’s a really cool event and it’s great for a lot of my sponsors and donors to have an opportunity to play with some of the top Korn Ferry Tour guys. I’ve had quite a few good players through the years playing my event which has been really cool.

“Growing up I was never a sneakerhead. I didn’t have the money to have any sneakers.”

What do you think makes the event unique compared to other pro-ams?

Well, if you ask any of the players, I think they’d agree there’s no shortage of food and drinks at my tournament. And then our swag bag, we do a really nice one. My sponsors Nike, Ping and Hyperice have been very gracious in helping me with items.

Given that you grew up as a fan of basketball, does being a Nike and Jordan ambassador now feel extra special?

No doubt. I grew up watching a lot of basketball and obviously golf. Guys like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Tiger Woods, those were some of my sports idols growing up and I saw them wear the Swoosh. So to be a Nike athlete is something that’s really cool for me. It’s been a humbling experience and I’ve definitely been proud to be a Nike athlete over the years.

It seems like you enjoy that side to the sport, whether it’s using a custom Utah Jazz staff bag or wearing the newest Jordan golf shoes and matching them with your outfit.

I mean Nike does a great job of scripting us during the major championships. I’ve been a big fan of the looks and the different styles that they like to bring out during the major championships. In general it’s very organic. I think a lot of people know me as the guy that wears the AJ1s and the Dunks and just has a little bit of different style and swag on the golf course.

“I was a bit of a hoarder when I first signed with Nike. I just saved everything and my wife was like ‘we gotta let go of some of this stuff. You have no more room in the house for all your things.’”

Were you that way before Nike, or did Nike make you lean into that more?

I feel like I’ve kinda grown into it. You know, simultaneously as I signed with Nike, it’s definitely been a mutual thing, but they played a big part in it as well.

I will say this – growing up I was never a sneakerhead. I didn’t have the money to have any sneakers. So it was hard to be a sneakerhead when I couldn’t get my hands on any sneakers. But being a Nike athlete, I’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity to get my hands on a bunch of cool shoes, so I feel like I’ve grown into a sneakerhead and the whole apparel side of things.

And my wife does a great job of helping me with that too. She actually scripts me during other tournaments outside of the major championships, and she’s got great style. And so a combination of those things has really helped me with my own style and swag and how I like to do things now.

As you say it’s a privilege to be a sneakerhead, and given your background it probably makes you really appreciate the stuff that you get now.

No question. I mean I was a bit of a hoarder when I first signed with Nike. I just saved everything and my wife was like “we gotta let go of some of this stuff. You have no more room in the house for all your things.”

It’s definitely a long way from where I came from – very humble beginnings. But there’s no question it definitely makes me appreciative of the things that you have when you didn’t come from much and then suddenly you have access to a lot. I’m definitely appreciative of it and humbled still to rep the Swoosh and have access to a lot of cool clothing and shoes.

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The AJ1 Low that you wear has a different traction pattern to the one people can buy online. Is that something Jordan makes specifically for you?

Yeah, Nike helps me with the traction on the bottom of my AJ1 and it’s been a huge game changer. When I first wore the AJ1 I had a hard time staying on the ground. I felt like I was slipping a little and sliding, but it’s mostly because the traction on the regular one is basically like a tennis shoe.

With my swing speed, I needed something to keep me a little more stable and down to the ground and Nike helped with that. It took a few different versions to get it right, but we finally got it right I think at the beginning of last season. So to have to have that look of the AJ1 and for it to pass the eye test but also pass the performance test is a huge deal, and I’m really happy.

Do you think there may be a time when the public is able to get their hands on that version, or is it not for you to say?

I don’t know if that’s for me to say. If Nike ever wants to make that happen I’m more than happy to have them allow that. But right now I’m the only one who has that aggressive traction. I know some other guys on tour who wear the AJ1 have definitely recognized it. I don’t know if Nike has entertained giving it to them, but as far as I’m aware I’m the only one that’s allowed to use it.

Last thing on Nike, there’s been a lot of talk this year about the future their golf department given the departure of Tiger Woods and Jason Day. From your perspective though has anything changed?

As far as I’m concerned I haven’t seen any type of decline in my access to anything that I need. I’m very aware that the golf division of Nike is not the basketball division or the football division. Obviously those divisions are a lot bigger than golf. But as far as I’m concerned Nike’s been great from the start, and nothing has really changed on my end. They’ve been great and that’s why I’m continuing to survive with them.

Finau Fresh is an Instragram account where you and your wife like to post about family and travel, and sometimes you’ll unbox new shipments from Nike. Can you explain how that started?

So obviously social media is a big part of the world these days, and my wife and I both had our own social media channels as we were traveling on the road with our kids. It was all my wife’s idea, she thought it’d be a good idea to start a family page, and we came up with the name Finau Fresh. We both loved it, and it’s just kind of grown. It’s pretty cool to just share our journey with the world through social media and have a lot of fun doing it, just showing who we are and what we’re all about. My wife loves running the account, and she does a great job with it.

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Probably doesn’t hurt your Player Impact Program [PGA TOUR incentive program to rewards players driving online engagement] score either does it?

Yeah I don’t know if it helps with the PIP. If I’m being honest, I don’t know exactly what could be pulling from the PIP. But yeah I’m sure it doesn’t hurt.

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