Tony Finau will be in a featured group at Masters. But can he win it?

SALT LAKE CITY — The eyes of the golf world are on Tiger Woods as he tees it up at Augusta National for the first time in a year and a half, trying to make a run at his fifth green jacket.

But should the eyes of golf be on Tony Finau and one of the featured groups Wednesday, when patrons and full galleries make a return to the Masters for the first time since 2019?

Finau will tee off at 8:56 a.m. MDT at Augusta National, part of a featured group that also includes No. 1-ranked Scottie Scheffler and Adam Scott on the tournament's first day of competition.

That means eyes — or at least a focused camera over the shoulder of Scheffler that will be livestreaming the entire round on ESPN+ — will be on the threesome as they make their way around the course, what may be the first time after weather and tornado sirens wreaked havoc on Tuesday's practice round and Wednesday's Par-3 contest.

Former BYU golfer and 2003 Masters champion Mike Weir, who shared the win in Wednesday's Par-3 contest, will tee off at 6:11 a.m. MDT alongside Padraig Harrington and Austin Greaser. That will be the second group of the day.

Of course, Scheffler doesn't think much has changed since he rose to No. 1 in the rankings.

"Outside of the guys saying congrats, I wouldn't say too much. My friends are still making fun of me; I still have to do my chores at home. Nothing really changes," Scheffler said in Augusta. "The guys are genuinely happy for me. I think the environment on tour is cool with that kind of stuff. That's cool to see. Everyone wants to come out here and win golf tournaments, but we have a lot of class acts, in victory and defeat."

Scheffler will likely be in consideration to win this weekend. But does Finau have any chance at winning the first major of his career?

Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Cameron Smith and Justin Thomas have been promoted by the national media as strong favorites to lift the green jacket onto one of their shoulders Sunday afternoon. Woods, who tee off at 8:34 a.m. MDT in his first PGA Tour competition in a year and a half, is +5500 to win the tournament.

Even as a longshot, Woods' return to competitive golf has taken over Augusta National.

"I would say Tiger takes a lot of attention away from all of us, which is a good thing for us," Scheffler said. "He's used to being in the spotlight; Tiger is the needle for professional golf. We're all excited for him and hoping he is able to play this week.

"We're glad to see him back. He's done so much for professional golf. We're all very grateful."

Finau has similar odds as Woods at +6000, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, so he may also be able to fly under the radar, like the world's No. 1. But plenty of golf fans will be watching that group, no less.

The Rose Park native is certainly used to playing with plenty of eyes on him. Remember when he joined Woods in the final group in 2019, when Finau shot even-par to finish tied for fifth on a dislocated ankle while Woods soared to an incredible comeback win?

"At first, I was bitter, because I knew I had the chance to win the Masters and I didn't," Finau recalled to ESPN earlier this week. "As time went on and I look back on the experience, it was a blessing that I was able to witness his comeback come full-circle, and to be the first one there to congratulate him on the 18th green. There are so many special moments about that that I'll be thankful for.

"I continue to look back on my life and know that I've had so many great experiences, and I'm not even close to done. I'm just getting started, and it's been such an amazing ride. But to have that experience in my back pocket at Augusta National certainly bodes well moving forward."

In a vacuum, Finau's game lines up well at Augusta, with the narrow fairways and the ability to cut shots off the tee.

"In a small package, it's just really hitting cuts and hitting fairways. That's as simple as it gets," Collin Morikawa told the media Monday. "Those are my strengths. Irons are my strength. How do I stick to that?"

Finau is coming into the tournament playing as good of golf as he has in the 2021-22 tour calendar. The 6-foot-4 bomber is ranked 22nd in the World Golf Rankings and finished tied for 29th at last week's Valero Texas Open — his best finish since Jan. 9, wherein three of the next five cuts in competitions he played.

The West High graduate also got better through the weekend in Texas, shooting his personal-best 69 Sunday to finish at 6-under-par and inch up to 145th in the FedEx Cup rankings.

No matter what he does, Finau will have plenty of fans back home rooting him on, including a certain Utah Jazz owner and close friend who is always rooting on "Team Utah."

"Tony has to be one of the greatest humans alive," Qualtrics co-founder Ryan Smith said of Finau before last year's Utah Open. "I hope everyone appreciates the skill level he plays with. We are lucky to have him. He is going to be there week after week. It's incredible."

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