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AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tony Finau was on fire Saturday at Augusta National.
The Lehi golfer took advantage of moving day at the Masters with three-straight birdies to start, added an eagle on No. 8, and surged to the top of the leaderboard with the best performance of the day at 8-under-par 64 in The Masters.
Through three rounds, Finau has a three day total of 11-under 205, tied for second with Tiger Woods. The duo are two shots back of Francesco Molinari, a threesome that will tee off with the final tee time Sunday morning at 7:20 a.m. MDT.
"As a kid, I always wanted to compete against him," Finau said of Woods when meeting with the media after his round. "I've dreamed of playing in the final group with him in a major championship."
Brooks Koepka is fourth at 10-under 206, and Webb Simpson and Ian Poulter round out the top-five.
After back-to-back-to-back birdies on the first three holes, Finau added a birdie on the par-3, 180-yard sixth and topped it off with his eagle at No. 8 to tie a Masters record of 6-under 30 on the front nine. It was the best performance on the front nine since Gary Woodland knotted the same score in 2014.
"I felt good going into the day," Finau said. "I felt calm and comfortable, and I think my scores showed that.
"I got in that zone, looked up at the leaderboard, and knew that I would have opportunities. I was happy to get what I did, but more than anything, I knew I had to keep my foot on the gas pedal."
The 15th-ranked golfer in the World Golf Rankings could’ve done even better, too. Finau had a nine-foot putt for birdie on the par-4, 460-yard ninth hole. But his attempt fell just short to keep him away from the historic 29.
That eagle, which he drained to within inches of the hole with his approach shot from the fairway, will have to do.
It didn’t matter, though, as he continued his surge around the bend, with birdies on 13 to slip into double digits at 10-under on the round.
In all, Finau, who famously was among the leaders after the first day of last year’s green jacket chase with an injured ankle, posted six birdies and an eagle with no bogeys to lift him into first when he walked into the clubhouse, two strokes ahead of Simpson and Molinari at the acclaimed Augusta National Golf Club when both came off the course.
"It felt great standing on the tee feeling fully healthy this year," Finau said. "Last year was awkward for me, just getting through those first couple rounds, just because the way I felt. Mentally, I think it helped because it took a lot of the pressure off, but you never want to be in physical pain when you're playing at a high level. As well as I played last year, I didn't have a chance to really win."
The Rose Park native was one of three golfers to shot 64 on Saturday, along with Simpson and Patrick Cantlay, who finished tied for 14th at 6-under.
But it was a low-scoring day for a lot of golfers. Molinari surged on the back nine, amassing four-straight birdies as he battled with Woods, Finau and Simpson at the top of the leaderboard.
Not to be outdone, Woods bogeyed the par-4 fifth hole — like he's done all week — before rattling off birdies over six of the next 11 holes to finish tied with Finau.
Finau opened the Masters tied for 21st, then slowly moved up the leaderboard, putting him in strong contention for Saturday's run.
Storms will force Sunday's final round to tee off early, with the first groups scheduled to tee off on the first and 10th tees at 5:30 a.m. MDT. The final round will be broadcast on CBS and Westwood One radio.
