AVONDALE, La. – When Tony Finau posted pictures of his busted ankle on social media after the Masters, it was anyone’s guess when he might return to competition. The one-time PGA TOUR winner made headlines all over the world on Masters eve when he dislocated his ankle while celebrating a hole-in-one in the traditional Par-3 Contest at Augusta National. Amazingly – after popping it back into place himself – he played. Even more amazingly he finished 10th in his Masters debut. But as the pictures graphically showed – he had suffered significant damage to his left ankle. While he admits he is not yet fully healed, Finau returns to competition this week at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, partnered up with Daniel Summerhays. They breed them tough in the Finau family. “We will see how it feels when I get out there and play. I haven’t been doing a lot of that, just a lot of rehab,� Finau said as he started practice at TPC Louisiana. He spent the last few weeks feverishly working on the injury with the help of trainers from the Utah Jazz and professionals from the University of Utah Orthopedic Centre. “I feel like their expertise; their working with something like this every day of the year; it seems like someone in the NBA has a high ankle sprain every day of the week,� Finau said. “I tried to make sure I had the best contacts in Utah to help me not rush the process but get me back asap.� While he could have certainly rested longer, Finau said this week was important to get a feel for just how successful the rehab journey has been. “We felt like it has gotten to a point where it is more mobile and the only way we are really going to know where we are at is to come out and compete and see how it feels,� he added. “The journey is far from over as far as dealing with the foot. I dealt with ankle injuries before, they can linger for a while; I don’t think it’s going to be 100 percent for a while, but I do feel like it’s ready to go and play and compete.� Finau now hopes to use the injury as a positive motivator going forward. His incredible play at Augusta has sparked even more belief into the already confident 28-year-old. While those on the outside of the golf world were impressed by his toughness, Finau was quick to point out many PGA TOUR players are always playing hurt. “I wanted to post those pictures after, but I didn’t want anyone to think I had excuses,� he explained. “When I tee it up I am ready to compete, I am ready to play. Same thing this week. “There is never any excuse, but I wanted people to just understand and respect that was what I was dealing with throughout the week and how much work it took for me to play. “It was an interesting week but man it was something I will never forget. To top it off with a top 10 in my first Masters just puts it in perspective – I think you can accomplish things that maybe your body feels like you can’t if you just put your mind to it.�

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After a successful debut last year, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans returns with its unique team format. Many of the game’s biggest names have descended on TPC Louisiana for the opportunity to partner with a friend for the only team event during the FedExCup season. The two-man teams will play four-ball on Thursday and Saturday and alternate shot in the second and fourth rounds. Last year’s tournament included one of the best shots of the year, as Kevin Kisner chipped in for eagle on the 72nd hole to force a playoff with Jonas Blixt and Cameron Smith. Smith clinched the title by hitting a wedge to 3 feet on the fourth hole of the sudden-death playoff, which concluded Monday because of darkness. Blixt and Smith have returned to defend their title. They’ll be part of PGA TOUR LIVE’s Featured Groups coverage, as will two of the past three FedExCup champions (Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas), Masters champion Patrick Reed and all three medalists from the 2016 Olympics. The Thursday broadcast will begin at 8 a.m. Eastern, while the Friday broadcast will begin at 9:15 a.m. Featured Holes will begin at 3 p.m. and run until the end of the broadcast at 6:30 p.m. TPC Louisiana’s two back-nine par-3s, Nos. 14 and 17, are this week’s Featured Holes. PGA TOUR LIVE also can be viewed on Twitter from approximately 8 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. on Thursday and 9:15 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Friday. Here’s a closer look at what you can see this week on PGA TOUR LIVE (Note: FedExCup rankings in parentheses): THURSDAY Justin Thomas (1)/Bud Cauley (61), Daniel Berger (66)/Gary Woodland (22): FedExCup leader Justin Thomas is teaming with fellow Alabama alum Bud Cauley for the second consecutive year. The duo finished fifth in last year’s Zurich Classic. Thomas won last year’s FedExCup and holds the lead again this season after victories at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES and The Honda Classic. They’ll play alongside Thomas’ Presidents Cup teammate, Daniel Berger, and another of this season’s winners, Gary Woodland. He won earlier this year at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Tee times: 8:39 a.m. Eastern off No. 10 on Thursday; 2:08 p.m. Eastern off No. 1 on Friday. Jordan Spieth (28)/Ryan Palmer (84), Wesley Bryan (153)/Jon Rahm (7): The Texas twosome of Ryan Palmer and Jordan Spieth has reunited after a fourth-place finish here last year. Bryan and Rahm are good friends who promise to make a colorful pairing. Rahm’s strong driving and Bryan’s crafty wedge play could make them a dangerous duo. Tee times: 8:52 a.m. Eastern off No. 10 on Thursday; 2:09 p.m. Eastern off No. 1 on Friday. FRIDAY Patrick Reed (6)/Patrick Cantlay (15), Jonas Blixt (162)/Cameron Smith (25): The Patricks are back after a 14th-place finish at last year’s Zurich. They were one shot off the lead at the halfway mark. For Reed, this will be his first PGA TOUR start since his Masters victory. Cantlay picked up his first PGA TOUR title earlier this season at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. They are the only team with two players ranked inside the top 15 in the FedExCup standings and the only team of PGA TOUR winners this season. Smith is coming off fifth-place finishes at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play and the Masters. Click here to read Ben Everill’s feature on Smith. Tee times: 1:44 p.m. Eastern off No. 1 on Thursday; 9:53 a.m. Eastern off No. 10 on Friday. Justin Rose (8)/Henrik Stenson (37), Matt Kuchar (58)/Bubba Watson (3): All four of these players competed for their countries at the 2016 Olympics. Three of them won medals (sorry, Bubba). However, Watson is the only one with multiple titles this season. He won both the Genesis Open and WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. Kuchar earned a bronze medal in Rio de Janeiro. Kuchar and Watson are among an elite group of players who have qualified for the FedExCup Playoffs in all 11 seasons of the FedExCup. Rose and Stenson, the gold and silver medalists, respectively, have reunited despite a surprising MC at last year’s Zurich Classic. Rose (2015) and Watson (2011) also are former Zurich champions. Tee times: 1:57 p.m. Eastern off No. 1 on Thursday; 10:04 a.m. Eastern off No. 10 on Friday.

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That tarpon he caught several years ago in the Florida Keys was a fighter. In fact, Brandt Snedeker battled the 120-pound fish for nearly an hour before he was able to bring it to the boat. Tarpon are known for their endurance, bullheadedness and spectacular leaping ability, and this fish had it all. “(We) had to pull up the anchor and chase it because those things are so big and so strong,” Snedeker says. So how tired was he after he reeled the fish in? Let’s just say Snedeker’s arms and shoulders were so sore he wasn’t going to hit the practice range anytime soon. “It’s funny, they’re so hard to catch that when you get one, you go, I want to try to catch another one but your arms are so gassed you just can’t do it,” Snedeker says. “But it’s fun.” Snedeker’s wife’s uncle is a fishing captain in Islamorada and he takes the family there at least once a year. He’s also gone tuna and sail fishing out in the Gulf of Mexico, and if the weather isn’t good they’ll head inshore to look for snook and sea trout and Spanish mackerel. “You name it, we’ll catch it,” Snedeker says. “It’s a lot of fun to get out there. It’s kind of hard not to be happy in the Keys when the weather’s perfect down there and it’s terrible everywhere else — you know?” Like many people, Snedeker fell in love with fishing when he was a kid. His family was on vacation in Venice, Florida, and they took a boat out into the Gulf. The 12-year-old got the bug – even though he got seasick, too.  “It was awful,” Snedeker says, grinning at the memory. “Six-hour deal and I threw up the whole time and they didn’t cut it short; we had other people on the trip with us. So I had to tough it out. “It was funny, it wasn’t going (out), it was just sitting still, the constant rocking. That’s what got me. .. It is the worst feeling in the world.” A little Dramamine now, though, just in case, and Snedeker is good to go. Snedeker also loves to fish for bass, and he’s gone fly fishing a couple of times, although he admits he’s not very good at that yet. Sometimes he even finds a river when he’s on the road and fishes before that week’s PGA TOUR event starts. Just as was the case when he was a kid, Snedeker’s kids, Lily and Austin, like to go fishing with their dad. He has some property with a pond that is stocked with bass and bluegill and catfish about an hour  — “not close, but close enough,â€� Snedeker says — from their home in Nashville, Tennessee. “They’ve even gotten to the point now where they’re big enough we can cook one and eat them if we catch them,â€� he says. “… The kids love it. I’m pretty much being their guide and just kind of do anything for them. “I’ll have fun and they get excited about what they catch and it’s a really, really cool moment for us as a family to spend the time doing that.â€� While Snedeker does most of his fishing in the Nashville area or down in the Florida Keys, he has also fished in New Zealand and tries to squeeze in a trip to Hawaii each year. Costa Rica, known for its sailfish and marlin, is another place on his must-do list, along with Cabo San Lucas. As much as Snedeker enjoys battling game fish like that 120-pound tarpon, he also enjoys just being on the water and “shutting your brain off for a little while.â€� He says he could fish for 10 hours without catching something and still have a wonderful day. “As I’ve grown up and my life’s gotten way more hectic, it’s a way to slow everything down and just get back to kind of just being me as a dad or me as a husband or me getting out on my own and hitting the reset button,â€� Snedeker says. “People deal with things differently. You read books, people go on vacations. If I can go fishing for three or four hours, I feel like a new guy.â€�  

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