Tony Finau hopes Netflix's new golf series 'Full Swing' creates identical hype to F1 series Drive to Survive
Tony Finau has shown strong devotion to the PGA Tour, and no amount of cash could persuade him to join LIV Golf.
With the release in Hollywood on Wednesday of its much-awaited docuseries, 'Full Swing,' which aims to document the lives and careers of more than a dozen PGA Tour professionals, Netflix is attempting to make a few more stars in a city already populated with them.
Finau spoke about the new docuseries storylines:
"We’re all lucky that Netflix picked a great year for storylines."
Tony Finau added that F1 brings out a great attraction:
"Because it was something I wanted to share on and off the course. I hope that it resonates with non-golfers, mostly, and brings that attraction that F1 has done."
Tony Finau proved to be one of the most accessible, giving the film crew almost free rein throughout the year as he sought to raise his reputation among casual sports fans.
The 45-minute episodes are only as good as the access provided, and Finau proved to be one of the most. The team followed Finau from the Genesis Invitational last year through the Tour Championship, eventually catching up with him in virtually all of his remaining tournaments.
The eight-episode 'Full Swing' series, which was modeled after Netflix's game-changing 'Drive to Survive,' which is credited with F1's dramatic increase in popularity, gives fans unprecedented access to the fitness trailer, private jets, and locker rooms used by the game's biggest stars, including Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, and Justin Thomas.
The PGA Tour-LIV Golf rift served as the underlying subtext to all of the on-course action when filming started in January 2022 at the Farmers Insurance Open. Producers couldn't have reasonably predicted the drama that would develop throughout the year.
Joel Dahmen was equally open, which was not unexpected since he wanted to elaborate on his background as a self-deprecating journeyman who had survived cancer and was currently competing against a top tier that was younger, more gifted, and more athletic. Similar to Finau, Dahmen said:
“Just dove off the deep end and did whatever they wanted us to do. We really put ourselves out there. I didn’t say ‘no’ very often.”
Additionally, they spent time with him at home with his family and documented the joy of his back-to-back victories in the summer against the somber background of Tony Finau's wife Alayna's difficult year following the passing of her father at the end of 2021.
Every player included was given the opportunity to see a preview of the main episode in which they appeared; Dahmen's was named "Imposter Syndrome." Before starting to watch, Dahmen tweeted:
"I’m nervous about how this turned out. I hope everyone enjoys it."
I’m nervous about how this turned out. I hope everyone enjoys it. twitter.com/chadmumm/statu…
The biggest names served as the show's bookends, appearing in the first and last episodes. The series began with Spieth and Thomas playing a (thousand-dollar-per-hand) game of cards on a private jet, while McIlroy and Thomas shared a private moment in the locker room with the FedExCup trophy on their hands after a turbulent year in the men's game.
The production plans originally excluded McIlroy, but he joined after The Open to add his voice to a season-long narrative unlike any in Tour history.
Tony Finau's career in recent times
The No. 13 in the world, Tony Finau, has 12 starts, three triumphs, and eight top-10 finishes. He finished 14th in the Phoenix Open the previous weekend.
Tony Finau is one of five golfers since 1980 with back-to-back victories on the tour by a margin of at least three strokes, along with Davis Love III, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, and Justin Thomas. Additionally, he won the 3M Open and Rocket Mortgage Classic.