Tony Finau Boosts Ryder Cup Hopes After Ending 5-Year Title Drought at Northern Trust Golf Event

(Photo : Stacy Revere/Getty Images) JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY - Tony Finau of the United States celebrates with the trophy after winning in a playoff during the final round of THE NORTHERN TRUST, the first event of the FedExCup Playoffs, at the Liberty National Golf Club on August 23, 2021 in Jersey City, New Jersey.

The long wait is over for Tony Finau. After five years, four months, and 27 days, the popular American finally ended his title drought in the PGA Tour, winning the Northern Trust golf tournament in a dramatic playoff over Cameron Smith at the Liberty National Golf Club on Monday. The win boosted Finau's chances of landing a spot in the USA squad for the 2021 Ryder Cup.

Finau secured his second PGA Tour win with a par on the first playoff hole. That proved to be enough as Smith botched his chance after his tee shot on the opening playoff hole landed out of bounds. If there was one guy on Tour who deserved that kind of luck, it had to be Finau, who had to endure 1,975 days of anguish and disappointment in his search for that elusive title.

Finau had several near-misses during his 1,975-day title drought

During that lengthy stretch, Finau racked up a total of 39 top-10 finishes. He had several opportunities to add to his 2016 Puerto Rico Open win but just failed to clear the final hurdle, finishing runner-up eight times.

Finau never lost hope, though, and he finally grabbed his chance in the final round of the Northern Trust. Golf's feel-good story waited one more day for it to be told as Hurricane Henri lashed through the Northeast over the weekend.

Finau came out of the unexpected one-day break with guns blazing, firing an excellent final-round 65 to finish the tournament on 20-under-par. He went on a rampage on the back nine, going five-under during a five-hole stretch to take a one-stroke advantage in the clubhouse.

Memories of Finau's near-misses came flashing back, however, when Smith made a late charge. The Australian birdied no. 17 and made a par on the closing hole to finish at 20-under-par and force a playoff with Finau.

That was the closest he got to the trophy, though, as Smith immediately crumbled in the playoff, pushing his drive way over the retaining wall that separates the golf course from the Hudson River.

Finau a Ryder Cup lock at this stage?

Finau couldn't have picked a perfect time to end his barren run as the Northern Trust is the opening event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. With the victory, Finau finds himself in a prime position to become the PGA Tour's season champion and earn a whopping $15 million.

He is now at the top of the FedExCup rankings with two events left to play, the BMW Championship this week and the Tour Championship in Atlanta this coming September.

Finau's Ryder Cup hopes were also boosted as he now leads Xander Schauffele by 28 points in the race for the final automatic qualifier spot in United States' lineup.