Tony Finau Hands PGA Tour Its First Win In Quite Some Time By Publicly Shutting Down LIV Golf Rumors

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All the usual suspects, including the ones that were all over the Jon Rahm to LIV Golf rumors, recently tabbed Tony Finau as the next PGA Tour player set to bolt for the Saudi-backed circuit. After Rahm's move became official, there were plenty of reasons to believe that anyone heavily linked with a move themselves would be following in his footsteps, but not Finau, he shut down the rumors in a hurry.

The six-time winner on Tour shared a post on his Instagram with a caption that began with him reflecting on his 2023 season. He then addressed the rumors about him headed to LIV head-on.

READ: PLAYERS RUMORED TO FOLLOW JON RAHM TO LIV GOLF, THE END GOAL FOR THE SAUDIS, AND JAY MONAHAN’S ONLY COURSE OF ACTION

"I’m excited for 2024 and looking forward to playing my 10th season on the PGA Tour! And stoked to be defending in both Mexico and Houston," Finau wrote in part, before writing the hashtag #imnotleaving.

Some of the fuel feeding the Finau to LIV rumors was the fact that he is reportedly facing multiple lawsuits by individuals claiming he owes them millions. He has earned over $37 million during his career on the PGA Tour, but what would have been a sizable signing bonus from LIV certainly wouldn’t have hurt his or his large family’s cause if the lawsuits go south on his end.

Tony Finau Sticking With The PGA Tour Is A Much-Needed Win

By no means does Finau staying on the PGA Tour 'save' the Tour in this fight with LIV Golf it is very much losing at this current point in time, but it obviously doesn't hurt.

LIV has managed to sign legitimate superstars with major championships under their belts in Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Cam Smith, and Rahm with even Patrick Reed and Bubba Watson serving as strong signings as well.

If the Tony Finaus of the game - those players who are universally liked, right on the precipice of stardom, and recognized by the most casual golf fan - start jumping ship in droves then the already bleeding PGA Tour starts gushing.

The Tour absolutely must keep those players who are always towards the top of the leaderboard, especially the ones who are marketable, to keep fans interested week after week. You can't swap the Tony Finaus of the game with

Follow Mark Harris on X @itismarkharris and email him at mark.harris@outkick.com

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.