Most of us still get chills when thinking about the COVID-19 pandemic. It wasn’t exactly a time we look back on fondly. Streets were empty, everyday life felt like a distant memory, and no one was really prepared for what was coming—not even professional golfers. For some, like Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods, the pandemic was a complete disaster. But for Tony Finau? Well, he actually looks back on it as a blessing in disguise.

During a stroll at Bay Hill, Finau got candid about his experience with Dan on Golf, reflecting on what that unexpected break from the tour meant for him. As it turns out, it gave him something he never had before—time with his family. “My wife and I, we sacrificed early, and once we got COVID, it was like a blessing in disguise,” Tony Finau shared.

Tony Finau recalls the COVID pandemic times!

“We experienced COVID together for like 13 weeks. The tour was off. My wife and I hadn’t been around each other at that point in our marriage for maybe more than two weeks at a time. She wasn’t traveling, and when she did, it was after a few weeks. After a few weeks, I’d be on the road, and she would come out for a week.”

Although Earth became a strange place to live on for some years, the family bond roots got stronger. It seemed like a reset button hit to purify the world. Most of us felt the same, I guess!

He continued, “I honestly can say, before COVID, I don’t think my wife and I spent more than two weeks together.” Dan, taken aback, couldn’t help but clarify, “That’s crazy. Your whole career?”

“My whole marriage,” Tony Finau admitted.

Let that sink in for a second. Before COVID-19 shut everything down, the longest time he and his wife had ever spent together was two weeks. Between tournaments, training, and travel, their marriage was mostly long-distance. And then, suddenly, they had 13 uninterrupted weeks together—something that had never happened before.

Finau couldn’t help but laugh at how surreal it all was. “We went into it, and we were like, we’re about to fall more in love or get a divorce. This is only going to end in one of those two ways. And luckily, it was the first. I’ll call this a good life.”

For Finau, the pandemic forced him to slow down, something his relentless schedule rarely allowed. But while he found a silver lining, not every golfer had the same experience.

Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods had the worst of it

Unlike Finau, who was reconnecting with his family, McIlroy and Woods had very different experiences. Back in 2022, in an interview with the Sunday Independent, McIlroy revealed he and Woods actually got COVID just before The Open. And the way it all played out? Straight out of a bad movie.

It all started at the JP McManus Pro-Am in Ireland, about a week and a half before The Open at St Andrews. The event was loaded with talent—nine of the world’s top ten players were there, including Woods. According to McIlroy, “everyone had COVID.”

At first, everything seemed fine. They played Monday and Tuesday, and Woods decided to take a break on Wednesday. The plan was to head to Ballybunion on Thursday. But that morning, McIlroy woke up feeling… off. “I woke up that morning feeling a bit achy but didn’t really think anything of it,” he said. Still, they stuck to the plan—McIlroy, Woods, their managers, and a chopper ride courtesy of JP McManus. The round went smoothly.

But back at Adare Manor, things took a turn.

“As I’m getting up from the table, I’m sore and stiff and super tired,” McIlroy recalled. He told his wife, Erica, that something felt off and went upstairs to lie down. That’s when the fever hit.

“I slept for maybe two hours and the sweat was just pouring off me, then Erica took my temperature and it was sky high.” That’s when he knew—this wasn’t just exhaustion. He reached out to Woods. “I rang Tiger: ‘I’m not feeling so good here.’ And he goes, ‘Oh, I feel OK.'”

But by 10 PM? Woods texted back—chills, fever, the whole deal. “And I’m like, ‘F—— hell, I’ve just given Tiger COVID! This is horrendous!’”

Despite battling the virus, McIlroy still managed to finish third at The Open. On the other hand, Woods missed the cut. For some, the pandemic was about survival. For others, like Finau, it was about finally slowing down. But for McIlroy and Woods? It was an absolute nightmare.

One thing’s for sure—whether it brought unexpected blessings or ruined championship dreams, COVID-19 changed the game for everyone.