Earlier this week, six-time PGA Tour winner Tony Finau was confronted by protestors outside the Oakridge Country Club in Farmington, Utah.
The protestors were supporting efforts to recoup money from Finau related to long-running disputes. About a dozen or so folks gathered on Monday, holding signs with messages such as “Tony Pay Your Debts”, “Keep Your Word”, “Tony Pay Your Family Back” and “Tony Don’t Forget Uncle Toa”, according to a report in deseret.com. Finau passed the peaceful protest upon entering the club in the morning.
Finau, a Utah resident, was at Oakridge for his annual charity golf tournament. The sponsor, the Utah Sports Commission, and the Tony Finau Foundation were the subject of signs, as well.
“This is all about awareness,” the organizer Rocky Bowlby, told deseret's Jay Drew. “No one knows the real Tony.”
Finau and his family are embroiled in multiple disputes alleging he hasn't paid investors back for their contributions as he rose the ranks of professional golf.
Bowlby alleges the Finau's owe him $100,000 for loans, travel expenses, etc. He's seeking the money, but has declined to take legal action, per Drew's reporting. Bowlby said he was protesting at Oakridge in support of his friend Molonai Hola. Bowlby claims Hola, an ex-University of Utah football player, is one of at least 10 other people who are owed money by the Finaus.
Hola is a former business associate of Finau's (he also ran for mayor of Salt Lake City). In 2020, he filed a lawsuit claiming he's owed more than $600,000 for backing Finau and his brother's golf career from 2006-2009. Hola says he covered the Finau's mortgage payments, medical insurance, a new car, golf lessons, and more. Tony Finau made his PGA Tour debut in 2014.
The Hola case is currently on track to go to trial in late September. Jury selection is scheduled for October 2024. (Deseret reports that while settlement talks have taken place, trial is the most likely outcome.)
A separate breach-of-contract lawsuit against Finau, filed in 2021, from a real estate developer has been twice dismissed. David Hunter claims he was owed money after investing in the Finau Corporation in 2007. The company folded in 2009.
Finau's representatives have not commented on the situations.
Finau is currently ranked no. 18 in the world. The 34-year-old father of five has officially pocketed $42,411,360 for his work on the PGA Tour. Hola is suing for one-fifth of Finau’s winnings.
Finau was portrayed a easy-to-root-for subject in Netflix's Full Swing due to his easygoing personality and close-knit family.
Finau has made 17 cuts in 19 events this year. He has five top-10 finishes, including a T3 at the U.S. Open. Last week, he finished T12 at the 3M Open.
Finau's last victory on the PGA Tour came at Mexico Open at Vidanta in April 2023.
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