Tony Finau makes major career update before start of season

There are a few players on the PGA Tour with a famous affinity for Nike's Jordan brand of sneakers, but Tony Finau is chief among them.

The 36-year-old has always caught eyes on tour with his more relaxed, street-inspired approach to golf fashion, and through his long-time partnership with Nike took to the course in many of the brand's most iconic sneakers over the years.

Now, cementing his status as one of the Tour's all-time sneaker heads, Finau has made a landmark switch by signing a full apparel and shoe deal with Jordan brand: the billion-dollar subdivision of Nike founded in collaboration with Basketball legend Michael Jordan.

Jordan himself is a voracious golfer, leading the brand to begin releasing golf gear stamped with the iconic Jumpman logo some years ago. As such, Jordan brand has had a fairly prominent presence on tour over the years, with everyone from Keegan Bradley to Justin Rose hitting the course in golf-engineered reworks of some of its most most beloved Air Jordan sneakers.

Finau is the only golfer to routinely wear Jordan shoes week in, week out, however, so his move to become a fully-fledged Jordan athlete feels like a natural fit. Indeed, Finau and Jordan are firm friends, with the golfer sharing a story with Nike's press staff about the NBA legend opening his private course, The Grove, specially for Finau and his son.

"...The thought crossed my mind, 'It would be the coolest thing on Earth if I could bring my son to play The Grove.' I texted Michael on a whim and asked him. He got back to me 30 seconds later: 'We’re actually closed for the weekend, but I’ll open the course just for you and your son. Please bring him and we’ll make it happen.' We played 18 holes that day and had the entire course to ourselves, just me and my son. That single experience is something I’ll never forget. That’s the effect Michael has on people."

Finau will wear head-to-toe Jordan gear as part of his deal with the brand, and will likely be spotted on tour in an eye-catching array of the brand's limited golf sneakers. The American becomes Jordan's first headline PGA Tour player since Harold Varner III, who left the brand following his departure to LIV golf.

Fans will be able to see Finau's debut as a Jordan athlete this evening as he tees off for his season-opening round at the Sony Open. He'll be off at 10:24pm local time.