Protesters accosted golfer Tony Finau, asking that the $42 million PGA Tour player “pay his debts” and “pay his family back,” with one person stating that Finau is owed more than $600,000.
When Tony Finau arrived in Utah to organize his annual golf event, he was met with irate demonstrators demanding he ‘pay his debts’.
It is reported that about twelve people congregated outside Farmington’s Oakridge Country Club, the venue for the PGA Tour star’s clinic and tournament.
The demonstrations, which lasted for around two and a half hours, according to Deseret News, were sparked by claims that Finau has not given them or their loved ones hundreds of thousands of dollars in return for their assistance during his ascent to the top of the golf world.
They held signs that said things like, “Tony Pay Your Debts,” “Keep Your Word,” “Pay Your Family Back,” and “Tony Don’t Forget Uncle Toa.”
A claim was made that Finau or his family owed him more than $100,000 for various expenses such as loans, rent, cars, and trips to China.
The PGA Tour star has allegedly been the target of legal litigation from a former family friend for almost four years. He demands a 20 percent share of Finau’s tour earnings, claiming to be due about $600,000 in total. September is when the eight-day jury trial is scheduled to start. In 2022, a different lawsuit against the Finau family was dropped.
The 34-year-old has earned $42,411,360 on the PGA Tour, but the Finau family is allegedly owed money by “more than 10 people.”
The Tony Finau Foundation and the Utah Sports Commission, the organization that supports the Utah Championship, were also targeted.
Finau was raised in Salt Lake City, and activist Rocky Bowlby asserted that “nobody knows the real Tony.”
“Awareness is the key here,” he stated to Deseret News. Two hours after the demonstration started, Finau is reported to have arrived at the course, but he did not recognize the crowd.
