Tony Finau to LIV Golf rumors in full swing after Hero World Challenge withdrawal

Perhaps Tony Finau will join LIV Golf after all.

After initially committing to this week’s Hero World Challenge, the 20-man event hosted by Tiger Woods every December, Finau pulled out at the last minute due to undisclosed reasons. The PGA Tour Communications team released an updated field on Monday morning, which included 2023 Ryder Cup player Sepp Straka taking Finau’s place.

It’s also worth noting that Finau has participated in this limited-field event five times before, including the last three editions. He tied for fourth last year, finishing five strokes behind winner Scottie Scheffler.

Finau’s withdrawal has led many to speculate about his affinity with the Saudi-backed circuit. Of course, at this point last year, Jon Rahm jumped ship to LIV Golf, doing so on live television while wearing a LIV letterman jacket. In the weeks leading up to that announcement, Rahm-to-LIV rumors circulated for days on end, which were eventually confirmed to the world on Dec. 7, 2023—exactly six months and one day after the PGA Tour struck a framework agreement with the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), LIV’s beneficiary.

Rahm went on to win two LIV events and ultimately won the season-long individual title in his debut season.

Finau, meanwhile, posted five top-10 finishes, which included a runner-up at the Texas Children’s Houston Open and a T-3 at the U.S. Open. He did not have a poor season per se, as he did qualify for the Tour Championship at East Lake. Finau also made 20-of-22 cuts but did not make it into the winner’s circle. His last professional victory came at the 2023 Mexico Open at Vidanta.

The Utah native has turned down offers from LIV Golf in the past, but those in LIV circles indicate that Finau will join Rahm’s Legion XIII team ahead of the 2025 season. Who knows if this will actually play out, but given Finau’s timing of his withdrawal and the fact that Rahm joined LIV in December last year, this speculation certainly carries some weight.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.