PGA Tour's Finchem Talks State Of The Game Following His Contract Extension

PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem discussed the State of the Tour with the WALL STREET JOURNAL's John Paul Newport after signing a four-year contract extension to continue leading the sport through '16. Finchem said when his contract expires, "That will probably be it. But never say never. Primarily right now I'm excited about the opportunities to put some serious energy into developing our long-term strategies." Newport noted the TV deal "was Finchem's key triumph" in '11. Finchem said, "In the past we've had to do things looking ahead four years, five years or at the most six years, because everything was tied to the TV contracts and our current sponsor agreements. Now, with most of the big stuff set, we have a much longer runway to think about the next environment." Whatever Finchem "is channeling, it seems to be working." He felt "buoyant enough about the ongoing negotiations to say he felt 'very positive' that FedEx would re-up" its playoff sponsorship. Newport noted the playoffs have "been a winner" for the Tour. They have "meaningfully extended the season and helped stem the defection of talent to the European and other world tours." Finchem said, "I would say the FedEx Cup is about 80% of the way to being fully integrated into the texture of PGA Tour golf, the way we want them to be, as a formidable, year-round part of tour competition. And in the next four to five years, we can round that out." The other "major bit of unfinished business is finding a new sponsor for the developmental Nationwide Tour." Newport: "Are you ready for the Hyundai Tour? The South Korean auto maker is reportedly a possible replacement for Nationwide." Finchem "does not foresee a single global tour superseding the major regional or continental tours, but he does believe that a more coordinated world competitive schedule will evolve, and it may eventually include some kind of major new global competition." One mode he "mentioned is the soccer World Cup, bringing together the best players every four years" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 1/14).

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS: GOLF.com's weekly roundtable discussion talked about the most pressing issues Finchem has to deal with during his new contract. SI's Michael Bamberger said, "He has to embrace the new wide world of golf even more than he has in the past and find overseas partners." SI's Jim Gorant said, "He has to find a way to tap into the international, especially Asian, audience without alienating the domestic one. Same stuff the LPGA has been dealing with for the last five years." SI's Alan Shipnuck: "The Tour needs to more aggressively promote the next generation of stars. The end is nigh for the Tiger-Phil era, and I doubt the general sports fan could ID any other player on Tour." SI's Mark Godich: "He has to make the Tour attractive to the Europeans. In particular, getting Rory McIlroy to play over here more would be a coup" (GOLF.com, 1/16). Meanwhile, GOLF WORLD MONDAY's Dave Shedloski wrote of Finchem, "Those who wonder why he would stay on seem incapable of asking the more pertinent question: Why wouldn't he?" Finchem "loves the job, making his decision to accept the contract extension, 'a no-brainer'" (GOLF WORLD MONDAY, 1/16 issue).