Tony Finau, from Utah, will join the Ryder Cup team seamlessly, says Vice Captain Zach Johnson

SALT LAKE CITY – With the exception of ski vacations in Park City, Zach Johnson had never returned to Utah since he had won the Utah Envirocare Classic at the Willow Creek Country Club in 2003 when the PGA National Tour.

However, the former British Open champion and Masters was in Utah earlier this month to support Tony Finau at a fundraiser for the Tony Finau Foundation where he talked about Finau and what he will bring to the United States. In France.

Johnson is familiar with the Ryder Cup as a five-time member of the US team between 2006 and 2016. He is one of Jim Furyk's vice captains at the biennial event that begins Friday at National Golf. near Paris.

Johnson said he came to Utah because Finau asked him and because he thinks a lot about Utahn, 29, who will be part of what many call the strongest team in history with 11 of the 17 best players. in the world. He praised Finau's play and his inclusion in the American team.

"It brings short range," said Johnson. "Tony brings a lot of good points on and off the golf course. Everyone talks about his prowess and all that stuff, and his short game is really good. But its constancy is what sets me apart.

Johnson said Finau had "a series of top-10 and five-quarter-highs on a range of different golf courses" and highlights his high achievements in the majors this year.

"I'm delighted with that," he said. "He is very interchangeable with whom he plays. Outside of golf, you talk about one of the best human beings you can have, him and his wife. He is an excellent teammate and has good chemistry on the golf course. I do not know how you measure that. It's very important and it fits perfectly. "

Finau is delighted to play with the world's best golfers, with millions of spectators around the world watching what has become one of golf's most anticipated events in recent years.

Finau said that the course near Paris matched his game because he had already played, being invited to play the course in early July, just before he goes to Scotland to participate in the Open Championship Carnoustie. At the time, Finau was one of the best competitors for one of the Ryder Cup places, and Furyk wanted to give him a glimpse of the course and see how Finau was playing.

As for the people with whom he could be paired this week, Finau said, "I'm going to meet the captains and see, but they know I'm ready to play with who and when they need me.

Finau said the two players closest to the team are Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson, so maybe he'll end up with one of those two players. Can you imagine a pair of Finau and Watson, two of the longest hitters in the world?

One possible partner is Phil Mickelson, who associates the player with the most experience of the Ryder Cup (it is his 12th) to the one who has the least experience. They played together at the Northern Trust tournament in New Jersey last month.

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"One of the 11 guys I would love to play with, Phil," Finau told PGA.com earlier this week. "I think he's obviously showing us that he's shining at the greatest moments, especially at the Ryder Cup, having this opportunity to play with him would be extremely cool for me, and being a team with Tiger and Phil is really cool. for me." . "

The tournament starts early Friday morning with the foursomes (alternative shots) in the morning and the four balls (best ball) in the afternoon, Paris time. The same format will be followed on Saturday with 12 games in singles on Sunday.