Not since the days of the great Bobby Jones has America experienced such tremendous growth in the popularity of golf.
Never in the history of the sport has the popularity of the game of golf spread like wildfire to nearly every corner of the world.
Tiger Woods has without question been the engine driving this unprecedented growth, but PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem has been the one steering the ship.
As many PGA Tour players such as the increasingly outspoken Tom Pernice Jr., are quick to point out, Tim Finchem’s job has been made a great deal easier due to the presence of the world’s most popular athlete, Tiger Woods.
Let's not in any way kid ourselves into thinking that Tiger Woods has not significantly helped Tim Finchem do his job over the past decade.
However, we must also give credit where credit is due, and Tim Finchem can be credited with doing an excellent job of harnessing the popularity Woods has brought to the game.
Finchem has harnessed golf’s newfound popularity into massive television contracts, live golf on national television every single weekend, and huge sponsorship deals, which have all resulted in massive increases in the size of purses at every PGA Tour event.
Just 10 years ago, the PGA Tour money leader, David Duval, earned $2.5 million and there were only 26 players on tour who earned over $1 million.
Fast forward 10 years and the tour’s money leader, Vijay Singh, has earned over $6.6 million (not even considering the $10 million he earned for winning the FedEx Cup).
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In 2008, there were an incredible 104 millionaires on the PGA Tour, an increase of more than 300 percent in the past decade.
Tiger Woods has indeed brought the PGA Tour to water, but Finchem has allowed them all to drink.
Several years ago Finchem came up with the idea of an end-of-the-year playoff system now know as the FedEx Cup.
At first glance, many fans and analysts alike thought this to be an excellent idea that would provide the tour with yet another exciting event.
However, two years after its launch, the FedEx Cup has been anything but.
In this day and age of instant gratification where virtually anything can be achieved in a matter of seconds with the click of a mouse, it is difficult for us to remember what happened 10 minutes ago, let alone the quite, behind-the-scenes achievements of a man over the past decade.
The fact the Finchem has helped grow the game of golf to extraordinary levels while creating hundreds upon hundreds of millionaires in the process is quickly forgotten.
The fact that Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were by far Forbes Magazine wealthiest American athletes in 2008 is also easily overlooked.
Aside from the fiasco that the FedEx Cup has become, Tim Finchem could arguably be considered one of the greatest sports commissioners of all time.
However, Finchem’s legacy now very much depends on his ability to somehow turn around the faltering FedEx Cup.
The urgency positioned upon Finchem to fix the current FedEx Cup format has now been increased tenfold with the European Tour’s introduction of the 2009 Race to Dubai.
The Race to Dubai is everything the FedEx Cup is not and has already begun to draw some serious interest from many of the PGA Tour’s brightest stars.
The Race to Dubai is simple to understand. The top 60 players on the European Tour’s Order of Merit (aka the money list) make it into the race’s final event, which will be played in the Dubai desert.
The Race to Dubai also provides a dramatic conclusion. The winner of the final event in Dubai is the overall champion and takes home a $3.6 million check.
Tim Finchem will undoubtedly have a lot on his plate is he plans for the 2009 season and beyond.
A looming recession, the threat of eventually loosing some major sponsors in 2010 and the very real threat of some of the PGA Tour’s largest sponsors literally going out of business in the coming months and years are just a few of the challenges currently facing Finchem and the PGA Tour.
But make no mistake, fixing the FedEx Cup will surely be on the top of Finchem’s agenda as the commissioner knows that his ability to turn around the FedEx Cup playoffs will have a dramatic affect on his legacy as well as the PGA Tour’s ability to continue to thrive in the face of competition from the European Tour.
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about 1 month ago
One of the best articles I've read to date. The real legacy of Finchem's time at the helm of the PGA is all about timing. If he is smart, he will leave before Tiger, not after.
They should just call it the Tiger Cup. If he were playing it would matter. Without him well, it's like having a track meet without Usain Bolt. A World series without the Yankees. Just loses its cache.
You did a great job emphasizing that Tiger is the Sun that the golf world spins around. That gravitational pull is tricky. Look at the ratings after the US Open. Ratings are falling and most of the world slept through some great golf, save the Ryder Cup. Which was better without Tiger. Go figure.
Finchem should call D. Stern and get some advice on how to survive without your meal ticket. Stern did a nice job while MJ was out "hobbying" around. My guess is Tim will be watching that billion dollar left knee pretty close in 2009.
Enjoyed your writing...
from about 1 month ago
Thanks for the comment and the kind compliment Lucky.
Yes, Tiger is definitely the sun that the golf world spins around.
I do think that Finchem has done a great job in turning the popularity that Tiger has brought to the game into excellent television contracts and coverage, excellent sponsorship deals which hve all resulted in huge financial gains for virtually everyone involved with the PGA Tour, especially the players.
From what I have read he has also done a great job in planning for a rainy day, which is clearly upon us. Apparently the PGA Tour has stored away more than $200 million in the case of loosing sponsors or being hit by tough financial times.
Finchem definitely has his hands full at the moment so will see how he comes out of this tough situation.
Thanks again!
about 1 month ago
Agreed, I think the tour needs to cut some of the events on the schedule. Like I said in my article, let us miss the tour for a while. Simplifying the point system as well. Mirroring the Race to Dubai wouldn't hurt either.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks for the comment Joe.
I agree.
The thing about the FedEx Cup that I least understand is - why complicate something so much that can be made so simple?
A golf playoff system - an excellent idea!
Take the top 50-60 players on the money list, dwindle them down over several events (just as is done in baseball, the NFL, etc.) and the winner of the Tour Championship is the champion - simple, exciting and something the fans will really get into.
It would have taken an unbelievable effort to make something as complicated as the FedEx Cup currently is when a very simple format would have made the FedEx Cup a huge success.
Thanks again.
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