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JERSEY CITY, NJ. Okay, the total had run up to 1,975 days and 143 starts but for Tony Finau that news is in his rear-view mirror after capturing his second PGA TOUR title with an impressive final round performance in winning the Northern Trust on the first extra hole in a playoff with Cameron Smith.

Coming into the first leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, the 31-year-old Utah native had demonstrated a capacity to get into contention -- eleven times in the top three along with eight runner-up finishes since his lone victory in Puerto Rico in March 2016. 

No person questioned Finau's talent but whispers resonated. Questioning his ability to successfully play down the stretch when events are won or lost. That anchor around his neck was a weight he certainly wanted to remove. His candor on the topic was equally straightforward.

"When you don't seal the deal, as time goes on, they don't give you the benefit of the doubt. So, I knew for me, I needed to prove people wrong by winning. That's the bottom line and that's what sports is all about.":

His play on Monday showed his resolve in outplaying the world number one player in Jon Rahm and outlasting the talented 28-year-old Australian Smith.

How good was Finau's play?

His six-under-par 65 was the best round of the day and his move up the leaderboard commenced with a birdie at the 12th hole and was aided emphatically by a six-iron second shot at the par-5 13th to three and a half feet that resulted in an eagle. 

A birdie followed at the short par-3 14th after sinking a 25-foot birdie putt.

But a fortunate situation happened for Finau at the demanding par-4 15th. A badly pulled tee shot landed in the adjoining 6th fairway and he was able to escape with a critical par to keep his forward momentum going.

"I think a big turning point was No. 15. I pulled my tee shot and I actually pulled it so far left that it just went over to No. 6 fairway and I had a clear shot straight to the green," said Finau.

He played a deft chip shot at the driveable par-4 16th resulting in another birdie and a tie for the lead with Rahm.

Finau executed a solid drive at the par-4 17th but a lackluster sand wedge from 115 yards left him 30 feet short of the hole. Nearly making the putt Finau then proceeded to the final hole with the tournament clearly in the balance.

Finau waited over ten minutes on the 18th before teeing off. His drive was unerring but his approach veered to the right finding a greenside bunker on the short side. At that point one could only wonder if past hiccups,which had kept Finau out of the winner's circle, would resurface.

Not to be denied, Finau executed a quality bunker shot to five feet and then holed the putt with a confident stroke.

Smith played equally well over the final several holes. The Aussie birdied the 16th and 17th holes to draw into a tie with Finau. A missed birdie putt from 23 feet at the final hole sent the event into a playoff between the two.

The playoff was anti-climactic as Smith hit his drive out-of-bounds right and Finau was able to quickly wrap up matters with a closing par.

"You've got to get the bounces when you need them. I needed that on 15. I needed to get away with that swing, and making par on 15, I think is picking up shots. That little sequence there at 13, 14, 15," said Finau. "I thought was huge to kind of keep me on top of the leaderboard and then I was able to play nice golf all the way through and right through the playoff."

So, what happens now? 

Finau's victory propels him back into the top ten in the world rankings -- he's 9th now -- matching his highest position since being ranked there in December 2018. Finau's victory, in all likelihood, assures him of being one of Steve Stricker's captain picks for this year' Ryder Cup Matches unless he moves into a top six slot which automatically assures him of a selection. 

Finau had played in the 2018 matches in Paris and was a USA team member for the Presidents Cup team which competed in Australia in 2019.

Holding the trophy after the presentation Finau summed it up in the following manner. "I've had a lot of great rounds on Sunday. It's nice to have this one and be able to capitalize on it with a W."

Yes -- finally Finau.

Odds and ends

* Jon Rahm was in the perfect position in earning his first victory since claiming the U.S. Open this past June. The Spaniard started the final round tied for the lead with Smith and when he stepped to the tee at the par- 4 15th the probability of a win looked very promising. But a pulled tee shot resulted in missing a five-foot par putt which dropped the world's number one player into a tie with Finau. At the short par-4 16th Rahm flubbed a short pitch shot and left a hole where birdie should have happened. At the 17th a pushed tee shot had him scrambling for a par out of a greenside bunker. Only one shot back when teeing off at the final hole -- Rahm found a left fairway bunker and ended his round with a woeful bogey and a disappointing 3rd place finish. 

* Patrick Reed, who withdrew from the Northern Trust prior to the start of the event, was hospitalized for bilateral pneumonia in a Houston hospital where he is recovering. Reed shared the information with Golf Channel's Todd Lewis who posted the information. Reed cited an ankle injury when he pulled out of the Northern Trust and will not compete in the BMW event in the greater Baltimore area this week. Reed is 26th in the playoff standings and only the top 30 will move onto The Tour Championship in Atlanta at East Lake.

* Jordan Spieth, who moved into contention with a 62 during the second round, spiraled out of contention with weekend rounds of 72 and 79 respectively. The latter included back-to-back triple bogeys at the 9th and 10th holes -- eventually tumbling to a 73rd finish. A Ryder Cup selection is highly likely for the Texan.

* Leading English players Tyrell Hatton, 14th in the world, and Matthew Fitzpatrick ranked 24th, could very well be playing for Team Europe in the upcoming Ryder Cup Matches but neither man will be continuing for the second playoff event at Caves Valley after finishing outside the top 70 at Liberty National. Joining Hatton and Fitzpatrick on the sidelines from going to Baltimore is Scotsman Martin Laird and England's Ian Poulter.

* PGA champion Phil Mickelson will move on in the playoffs but barely so - ger snared the final position in the 70th slot.

* In three consecutive weeks, a player has held at least a share of the lead after each of the first three rounds and failed to qualify for a playoff:

Jon Rahm, The Northern Trust
Russell Henley, Wyndham Championship
Harris English, WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational

* Keith Mitchell punched his ticket to Baltimore with three consecutive birdies at the final three holes. Mitchell started the week in the 101st position and is now in the 63rd position.

* Special kudos to the grounds crew at Liberty National in dealing with over nine inches of rain that fell on the course from late Saturday night through the early morning hours of Monday -- courtesy of tropical storm Henri. The team worked through Sunday night in successfully preparing the course in time for Monday's round to commence after two pushbacks that morning. Play commenced at 11:30 AM local time and was completing just after 7:00 PM. Given the deluge of water from the storm the PGA TOUR opted not to have spectators on property for the final round.