TONY FINAU

At the heart of every slice is an open clubface. And it usually goes with a steep swing that cuts across the ball from out to in.

Needless to say, the Masters is the tournament I'd like to play in and win the most. I've never seen it in person and wouldn't go even if you gave me tickets, because I made a promise to myself as a kid that I wouldn't go until I played my way there.

I just had different circumstances than most players, and I think that has been an advantage - maybe I carry a little chip on my shoulder with just how tough it was for my parents to overcome some of those financial situations.

It was tough to fail year after year. I never even got to the final stage until I got my card on the Web.com Tour. But I always believed that I could be something special. I just had to prove it to myself.

I enjoy the challenge of being a father... I try to do my best to be there for my children.

I think the Polynesian people and the gospel are in harmony. We're very respectful people, and very humble people... and I try and let that shine through as much as possible.

We didn't have cable TV. We just couldn't afford it. But you don't need cable to watch the Masters. In 1997, at the exact moment I started out, I watched Tiger Woods win the Masters.

It's the Tiger Woods effect. What he was able to accomplish at such a young age - he drew me to the game, and I can only speak for myself, but a lot of the players that are my age saw Tiger in his prime when we were all teenagers. We all wanted to be like him.

I'm not an alcohol drinker. Instead of the real beer, I just go with root beer.

I definitely take time to smell the flowers because I feel like my upbringing was quite a bit different than most guys on Tour.

Essentially, my parents directed me in the right path. They were all for me turning professional and starting that journey as a family with my golf career.

My irons are three-eighths of an inch longer than standard.

Staying in the moment is not worrying about the outcome but just focusing on the process on the next shot.

The Ping 51-degree makes for a nice transition from the irons. On my 60, it says 8 degrees of bounce, but I grind it to about 5 or 6 degrees. I tried a head with less bounce, but it just didn't look right.

If the rules aren't going to protect the integrity of the game, then they're wrong.

Everything I do is deeply rooted in my faith and especially in Jesus Christ.

Mini-tour life isn't a glamorous, professional golf life. If you're not on the PGA Tour, it is very tough financially.

The crazy thing is, the last club I ever learned to hit was my driver. My brother and I ended up being known for our distance, but we had no idea how far we could hit the ball because we hit it the same, and all of a sudden, we're going to tournaments, and we're driving the par-4s. At 10 years old, I was hitting it, like, 240.

I find that my upbringing in the Church and my relationship with God are huge benefits to me in helping me become the kind of person that I want to become.

We grew up in the Rose Park section of Salt Lake City. It's a good neighborhood but a tough one, on the poor side but proud. Sports are big. You learn to fight.

I use the low-spinning Pro V1 left dot. I mark it with the logo for the Tony Finau Foundation.

When your hands are cold, and you're hitting with old, low-quality irons - my first one was a Merlin model with a green shaft - you learn what to do to hit the ball solid.

This whole golf thing was so left field for us, as Polynesians, but he had a lot of knowledge about sports in general. My dad was a genius, really. He was an absolute genius.

If you make the effort to address the moves that cause a slice, you can straighten out all your shots. It won't happen overnight, but if you're systematic about it, the process will work.

It will be a great accomplishment if I become the best player in the world. But if my children can grow up with great core values and become great people and do good things and are happy, then, man, that would bring me great joy.