Masters 2021: Despite chat with Tom Brady during delay, Tony Finau’s third-round finish not super

AUGUSTA, Ga. – While waiting out the one-hour rain delay Saturday at the Masters, Tony Finau was handed a phone by Augusta National member Jimmy Dunne.

“Somebody wants to talk to you,” Dunne said.

To Finau’s surprise, it was legendary quarterback Tom Brady.

“He said, in the NFL, when it rains, we don’t stop. I said, ‘Maybe we’re not as tough as you guys,’ and he said, ‘No, that’s not the case,’” Finau said. “We had a good laugh about that. He was giving me some crap about the weather and why we stopped. He was obviously watching, and that was cool he was following.”

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They’d previously met only once before, back in 2017 in Boston, when Brady was starring for the New England Patriots. (They share a mutual friend, Brady’s trainer Alex Guerrero.)

“He’s obviously a fan of golf, and I’m a big sports fan,” Finau said. “So following his career has been fun.”

The conversation didn’t do much to spur on Finau. Despite more scoreable conditions following the restart, he played his next 10 holes in even par and drifted eight shots back of leader Hideki Matsuyama. Finau was at 3-under 213.

“I’m quite a ways back after today, unfortunately, and I’m going to have to put together something pretty special tomorrow,” he said. “I’ve shot some low rounds out here on this golf course, so I’m going to need one of those tomorrow.”