'Knife Dance' Performer Pinau's '2 Billion Won Jackpot'... "Did You See the Wire-to-Wire Victory?"

Pinow Cadence Bank Houston Open Final Day 1 Under Par 4-Stroke Victory
Alexander 2nd, Taylor 3rd, Scheffler Tied 9th, Kim Siwoo Tied 35th

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] It is a 'wire-to-wire' victory for 'knife dance' dancer Tony Finau (USA).

Tony Finau is taking off his hat to greet the gallery's cheers immediately after winning the Cadence Bank Houston Open. Houston, USA=Photo by AFP·Yonhap News

On the 13th (local time), Finau added 1-under par on the final day at the Memorial Park Golf Course (par 70, 7,412 yards) in Houston, Texas, USA, to complete a dominant 4-stroke victory (16-under par 264) at the PGA Tour Cadence Bank Houston Open (total prize money $8.4 million). He maintained the lead throughout the four days, securing his first win of the season in four months since the Rocket Mortgage Classic in July, marking his fifth career victory. The winner's prize money was $1,512,000 (2 billion KRW).

Starting with a 4-stroke lead, Finau recorded four birdies and three bogeys. Early on, he 'reserved' the victory with birdies on the 2nd hole (par 3), 5th hole (par 4), and consecutive birdies on the 8th and 9th holes. In the back nine, he made three bogeys without any birdies, but it did not affect his win. He relied on his long drives of up to 339 yards and a greens in regulation rate of 79.63%.

Finau won his first career title at the Puerto Rico Open in March 2016. His ancestors are from Samoa, an island nation in the South Pacific. He has a unique background of performing the knife dance with his family to make a living during his childhood. He married in 2012 and is a father of five children. His powerful long drives come from his imposing physique of 193 cm and 90 kg.

Tyson Alexander (USA) surged with a 4-under par round to move up to 2nd place (12-under par 268). Ben Taylor (England) finished 3rd (11-under par 269), and Alex Noren (Sweden) along with two others tied for 4th place (8-under par 272). World No. 2 Scottie Scheffler (USA) performed well, lowering his score by three strokes to climb to a tie for 9th place (6-under par 274).

Korea's Kim Si-woo (27) struggled with a 3-over par, dropping to a tie for 35th place (1-under par 279). Rookie Kim Sung-hyun (24) exchanged three birdies for three bogeys, finishing tied for 47th place (2-over par 282). An Byeong-hun tied for 53rd place (4-over par 284), and No Seung-yeol (both 31) ended the tournament tied for 64th place (7-over par 287).