Six-time PGA Tour winner Tony Finau walked into the Delta Center on Friday to watch the Utah Jazz take on the New Orleans Pelicans, expecting nothing more than a night of basketball. But he left with a successful putt under his belt and $1 million pledged to his Tony Finau Foundation. The man behind the donation? ESPN personality Pat McAfee.

“Tony Finau drained this putt at the Utah Jazz home opener last night, which awarded him a $1M donation for his foundation courtesy of [Pat McAfee],” NUCLR Golf reported on X. 

What led up to all this? Well, things took root last week when Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith and his business partner Ryan Sweeney pledged an additional $1 million each after Pat McAfee’s ‘Kicking Is Easy’ challenge on ESPN’s College GameDay drew a miss from BYU student Carter Smith on his first attempt. 

The added contributions raised the potential prize to $3 million, and Carter made the most of his second chance by drilling the 33-yard field goal. The payout was split for charity. Fast forward to this week, McAfee and his College GameDay crew were in town for the Utah Jazz home opener.

This prompted the Jazz owner to turn the tables on the host of the Pat McAfee show, who then pledged $1 million to whoever makes a long putt on the Qualtrics putting green during the timeout, which usually allows one lucky fan to putt for a chance to earn up to $8,500. However, what happened next McAfee never saw coming. 

Instead of a random fan, the Jazz invited Salt Lake City, Utah, native Tony Finau to try the putt. As McAfee prepared to say goodbye to his million, the PGA Tour pro surprisingly missed the first putt to the left. However, the 37-year-old’s second attempt found the bottom of the cup, as the sold-out Delta Center crowd erupted in cheers. 

McAfee, ever the generous sport, accepted the challenge and shook hands with the six-time PGA Tour winner. The $1 million now heads to Finau’s foundation, which is dedicated to empowering and inspiring young people and their families to realise their potential through education, wellness, and recreation. As the foundation puts it, its mission is to help them achieve the best.

Nevertheless, Utah Jazz edged the New Orleans Pelicans 120-119 in their home opener, securing their first win of the 2026-27 NBA season. Jaren Jackson Jr. led Utah with 24 points and 10 rebounds, while Keyonte George contributed 19 points and 10 assists. In the meantime, Rookie Darryn Peterson scored 15 points, including two go-ahead free throws with 50.5 seconds remaining. 

The Pelicans, on the other hand, led by Zion Williamson’s 23 points and Saddiq Bey’s 20, fought back from a 15-point deficit in the third quarter and briefly took control in the fourth. But George and Jaxson Hayes helped the Jazz regain the lead with a decisive 15-3 run. Although New Orleans had a chance to snatch victory in the closing seconds, Dejounte Murray missed a potential game-winning jumper. The win also snapped Utah’s eight-game losing streak against the Pelicans.

Coming back to McAfee, the ESPN personality has a history of charitable work. His latest pledge comes after McAfee’s College GameDay awarded students and charities a combined $8.5 million in the first eight weeks of the 2026 college football season, according to Front Office Sports.