Tony Finau is adopting an unconventional putting grip in an effort to reverse a challenging stretch in his golf season. The 37-year-old PGA Tour player revealed during a Sept. 30 press conference ahead of the Bank of Utah Championship that he has been using a “hockey stick” style putter grip, supplied by Caliber Golf, a Wisconsin-based company.

Finau, who began experimenting with the flat, elongated grip about a month ago, said the design helps him align everything precisely with the putter face, an element he considers crucial for accurate aiming. Unlike a traditional round grip, the hockey stick grip is perfectly flat, allowing the hands to point directly toward the target along the same angle as the putter face.

He explained that aiming becomes increasingly important on short putts, where there is little time to manipulate the clubface. Finau has historically performed well on longer putts—20 to 25 feet and beyond—but has struggled with those closer to the hole. He hopes that the new grip will improve his short putting by making it easier to aim accurately.

Finau is coming off a difficult season marked by poor putting performance, now entering his fourth consecutive year of losing strokes with the short stick. This issue has compounded a decline in his ball striking, a strength that had previously powered his success. With only one top-30 finish in his past 15 starts and four top-25s overall this season, Finau has also failed to qualify for any of the four major championships in 2024. As of the start of the Bank of Utah Championship, he stood 100th in the FedExCup Fall standings and had fallen to 151st in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Despite the struggles, Finau’s status is secure for next year, thanks to multiple PGA Tour victories in both 2022 and 2023, providing full exemption for the 2025 season. He remains optimistic about his progress, emphasizing his ongoing work on both his game and physical conditioning.

During a practice round at the Bank of Utah Championship in Ivins, Utah, Finau paused to sign an autograph for a young fan who approached the ropes, reflecting on his own memories as a youth attending local Korn Ferry Tour events. This tournament marks his debut appearance at the event, part of the PGA Tour’s efforts to establish a stronger presence in Utah, which is now in its third year hosting a PGA Tour stop. Finau expressed enthusiasm about competing in front of a home crowd.

Historically, Finau has fared well in his debut starts on the PGA Tour, making the cut in nearly 77 percent of such events and posting top-10 and top-25 finishes at notable rates. Looking ahead, he views the fall portion of the season as an opportunity to regain momentum.

“I didn’t have the PGA Tour season that I wanted throughout the ’26 season, but the great thing about this game with the experience that I have is any time you’re playing well, it’s a good time to play well,” Finau said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s in the fall, in the spring, in the summer. We have golf all year round on tour. Any time is a good time to play well. Sports is all about winning, and I feel like on my résumé six doesn’t sound like nearly enough. Why not number seven this week?”