Finau plays at Augusta despite dislocated ankle

Tony Finau, who suffered a dislocated left ankle in the par-3 contest, popped it back into place and was playing Thursday.

Published : Apr 06, 2018 00:21 IST

Tony Finau was able to begin his first round at the Masters in encouraging fashion just a day after suffering a bizarre injury during Wednesday's par-three contest.

The American dislocated his left ankle celebrating a hole-in-one at the traditional event that precedes the first round at Augusta.

Finau, who then seemingly popped his ankle back into place, reportedly had an MRI exam on Thursday that showed no structural damage and was cleared to make his Masters bow.

By late morning, Finau was on the practice range and appeared to be testing the left ankle, carefully working it back and forth, before hitting easy wedges.

It remained to be seen whether one of the PGA Tour's longest hitters would be able to apply the kind of pressure on the left ankle his swing requires to maximise distance on the Masters' long and challenging layout over the course of, first, 18 holes and then perhaps four days of competition.

He opened with a bogey, but got the dropped shot back at the second and then added another birdie on the par-three fourth hole and was one under through six.

Describing Wednesday as a "crazy day," Finau tweeted his thanks that night to well-wishers for their concern.

Finau, the world's 34th-ranked player, teed off at 12.43pm local time with two-time Masters champion Bernhard Langer and Yuta Ikeda.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment