Brittney Griner starstruck by Tony Finau at the WM Phoenix Open

Modified Feb 13, 2023 08:16 GMT

Brittney Griner (Image via Associated Press)

American basketball star Brittney Griner made her second public appearance after being released from Russian prison. Griner attended the WM Phoenix Open golf tournament's third round on Saturday, February 11, and was present at the iconic hole 16 to cheer for her favorite, Tony Finau.

Griner was part of a 200,000 crowd of fans and walked the final three holes with Finau's group inside the rope. She declared herself to be a fervent supporter of Finau and has been clapping for him throughout the contest. Griner later met him and invited Finau to the Mercury Games.

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Brittney Griner was held in a Russian prison for around 10 months before being released in December. She has hardly made any public appearances since then. However, on Saturday, the basketball star attended the WM Phoenix Open and then the NFL Super Bowl.

Tony Finau finished in T14 at the WM Phoenix Open in a six-way tie alongside Hoffman, Patrick Rodgers, Taylor Moore, Beau Hossler, and Dylan Frittelli.

Scottie Scheffler registered a two-shot victory over Nick Taylor. Jon Rahm finished third while Justin Thomas finished fourth. Jason Day secured the fifth position and Jordan Spieth settled in the sixth position alongside Wyndham Clark, Sam Burns, Sungjae Im, and Tyrell Hatton.

When will Brittney Griner play again?

Brittney Griner is skipping her basketball training and is focused on her recovery after being released from prison. She is enjoying her time with her wife and attending the Super Bowl with her. She last appeared at the Martin Luther King Jr. march.

Griner is scheduled to take part and play for the Phoenix Mercury next. In her interview at the Phoenix Open, she also talked about her plans and also potentially playing in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Tony Finau at the 2023 WM Phoenix Open

Tony Finau started the opening round at the Phoenix Open with a birdie on the fifth hole. He then sunk another birdie on the seventh hole, a double bogey, and two more birdies and a bogey in the first round.

Finau shot 68 on the second day, with four birdies and one bogey. However, he only made two birdies and two bogeys in the fourth round, finishing T-14.

The WM Phoenix Open concluded on Friday, December 12. The tournament featured some of the biggest names, including Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, and Scottie Scheffler.

Scheffler won the tournament and took home $3.6 million. Nick Taylor finished second and earned $2.1 million in prize money. The tournament had a purse of $20 million, featuring 132 players. Shockingly, Collin Morikawa missed the cut after the second round of the tournament.

2023 WM Phoenix Open leaderboard

1. Scottie Scheffler
2. Nick Taylor
3. Jon Rahm
4. Justin Thomas
5. Jason Day
T6. Sam Burns
T6. Sungjae Im
T6. Jordan Spieth
T6. Tyrrell Hatton
T10. Wyndham Clark
T10. Xander Schauffele
T10. Rickie Fowler
T10. Adam Hadwin
T14. Patrick Rodgers
T14. Tony Finau
T14.Charley Hoffman
T14. Taylor Moore
T14. Dylan Frittelli
T14. Beau Hossler
T20. Seamus Power
T20. Keegan Bradley
T20. Sam Ryder
T23. Chesson Hadley
T23. Scott Stallings
T23. Adam Schenk
T23. Si Woo Kim
T23. Kurt Kitayama
T23. Jhonattan Vegas
T29. Hideki Matsuyama
T29. Hayden Buckley
T29. Matt Fitrpatrick
T32. James Hahn
T32. Billy Horschel
T32. Rory McIlroy
T32. Matt Kuchar
T32. Jason Dufner
T32. Zach Johnson
T32. Kevin Tway
T39. Sahith Theegala
T39. Max Homa
T39. Lucas Glover
T42. Adam Long
T42. Ryan Palmer
T42. Aaron Rai
T42. Viktor Hovland
T42. K.H.Lee
T42. Brian Harman
T42. Keith Mitchell
T42. Gary Woodland
T50. Tom Kim
T50. Justin Lower
T50. Lucas Herbert
T50. Joel Dahmen
T50. Corey Conners
T50. Brandon Wu
T50. Erik Van Rooyen
T57. Webb Simpson
T57. Taylor Pendrith
T57. Danny Lee
T57. Greyson Digg
T61. Trey Mullinax
T61. Nate Lashley
63. Kelly Kraft
64. Cameron Young
65. Stewart Cink
66. Jim Herman

Edited by Ankush Das