Alayna Finau, wife of PGA Tour star Tony Finau, is known for giving fans an unfiltered look at life on Tour through her social media. But on a recent travel day, it was her candid answer to a fan question that struck a chord well beyond the golf world.

Responding to the “Ask Me Anything” prompt on Instagram, the mother of six was asked about the best feeling about being a golf parent. And her reply was heartfelt.

“Watching them learn and grow. We are tough on our son, and then we leave the rest up to him to be responsible. You can’t want it more than they do. Love watching him handle the ups and downs of the sport.”

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The son in question is Jraice Finau. He’s the eldest of the couple and a rising name in junior golf. Most recently, he won the 2025 Utah PGA Junior Series Majors’ Bonneville 1-day event in the 13-15 age group, defeating Benjamin Wright in a playoff.

Tony Finau also celebrated Jraice’s first-ever bogey-free round in a competitive tournament earlier this year when the teenager won at The Oaks at Spanish Fork. The PGA Tour pro has been candid about the challenge of instilling grit in Jraice, also acknowledging the difficulty of doing so when his son grows up with comforts he never had.

“My son has impressed me that’s what he wants, so I have to try to be tough on him to hold him accountable, to teach him that hard work and grit, it’s not easy though. If you’re going to be great, talent takes you to the doorstep, and your work ethic is what’s going to get you there,” he said in a conversation with Golf Channel.

Growing up in the Rose Park neighborhood in Salt Lake City, Tony Finau could not afford new golf clubs, and that reality shaped his drive. That privileged upbringing his children have now, he admits, makes replicating that hunger one of the hardest jobs as a father.

Alayna Finau, who typically attends around half of Tony’s events each year, has been the emotional backbone of the family’s tour life. The couple married in May 2012 and have six children together: Jraice, Leilene, Tony Jr., Sage, Sienna-Vee, and their youngest daughter, Layton, born in January 2025. Through it all, she has remained one of the most relatable voices in the WAG world.

That said, for Tony, for now, the balance towards parenthood has not come as instinct. It came from watching his own father do it first.

The lesson PGA Tour pro Tony Finau’s dad taught him

When Tony was a teenager, he missed a putt on the final green of the state championship, costing him the title. But the issue was when he stomped his club in frustration and recalled the entire gallery watching. Going home, he had expected his father to scold him about it. Instead, he asked him a question that changed the way he looked at their relationship.

His father, Kelepi Finau, was known for demanding discipline. Tony was extremely embarrassed by his own behavior, as it was against the discipline his father had drilled in him. Throughout the ride back home, they sat in silence. And Finau anticipated fury from his father, but instead, his father said:

“Son, are you okay?”

Tony recalled this incident on a podcast with Dr. Becky and said that he realized one thing from that car ride. Your kids need you there as someone who can help them recover, heal, and strengthen them. Just be like an anchor for them and not someone that’s going to kick them down while they’re already down. And that’s the philosophy he has stood by with his own children as well.