Wolverhampton's Aaron Rai ties for seventh in Houston Open

Rai finished on seven under par after carding rounds of 70, 64, 70 and 69 at the Memorial Park Golf Course. The former Wolverhampton Grammar School pupil’s final round included a 48ft birdie put on the third hole. He eventually finished nine shots behind eventual winner Finau, who closed on 16 under par – four ahead of nearest challenger Tyson Alexander.

Rai’s fellow Englishman Ben Taylor was third, finishing on 11 under par. Finau’s victory, though, was his fifth on the PGA Tour and his third in 2022 – although he admitted to a few jitters as he carded three bogeys on the back nine of the final round.

“It feels great,” Finau said. “Honestly, on the first hole I didn’t know if I had it in me today. It was one of those days where I just fought and fought.

“I made a lot of nice putts on the front nine to kind of calm me into things. I’ve never been in that position before, being with that big of a lead with nine holes to play.”

Meanwhile, LIV Golf has announced that one of its events will be held in Australia for the first time in 2023. The Grange Golf Club in Adelaide will host one of the Saudi-funded circuit’s 14 events from April 21-23, a fortnight after the Masters takes place at Augusta National.

“Passion for sport is at the core of Australian culture, and LIV Golf is proud to bring its global league to a country deserving of the world’s top competition,” LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman said. “This is an opportunity to grow the game with generations of Australians while connecting them with star players like Cameron Smith who are building a new platform for golf around the globe.

“There is massive potential for Australia to play a bigger role in this great sport, and I couldn’t be more excited to showcase Adelaide for our league’s debut year.”