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Tim Finchem Gets One-Year Contract Extension, But Plans To Step Down Sooner

PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem has received a contract extension that takes him to June 1, 2017, but he said that he "doubts he will stay on the job much past the end" of this year, according to Alex Miceli of GOLFWEEK. PGA Tour Deputy Commissioner Jay Monahan, who last week added the title of COO, "is widely believed" to be Finchem's successor. Finchem yesterday said, "The length of the contract really is just a placeholder in terms of giving me a little more time to do some of the projects I'm engaged in now. I want to bring those forward, so I wouldn't anticipate I'm going to stay that long.” He added that with Monahan "handling all day-to day operations" of the PGA Tour, that frees him up to "deal with some big-picture projects, including his chairmanship of the board of the World Golf Foundation and the development of global golf." Finchem: "I'm a hundred percent confident that the things I'm focused on now will be where I'm comfortable stepping aside. ... I could probably work another five or six years, but I don't think that's the best thing for the organization" (GOLFWEEK.com, 3/27). Finchem said that Monahan's new responsibilities will also include "strengthening ties with sponsors." GOLF WORLD's Geoff Shackelford wrote the "more surprising" aspect of Finchem’s press conference was his "admission that he believes the time has come for new energy." Monahan "figures to bring" the same new blood to the PGA Tour that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred "have delivered" to their leagues (GOLF WORLD, 3/28 issue).

GROWING THE GAME: The AP's Doug Ferguson noted one of Finchem's goals is to "measure interest and growth in the game and find new ways to get more people playing." He was "vague on details except to say that tours around the world need to collaborate to better tap into the corporate marketplace" (AP, 3/27). In Jacksonville, Garry Smits notes a possible project is a "merging of the PGA Tour with the LPGA, the seeds of which have been sown by a recent strategic alliance agreement." The partnership "will include areas such as schedule coordination, joint marketing programs, domestic television representation, digital media and exploring the potential development of joint events" (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 3/28).

LEAVING A LEGACY: GOLF.com's weekly roundtable discussed what Finchem's enduring legacy will be, with SI's Alan Shipnuck noting it is "cash dollar bills." He is a "god to the players, or should be." Finchem has been a "pioneer in exporting the game globally, creating the Presidents Cup and the WGCs and helping to get golf back into the Olympics." His "tireless support of the First Tee has brought the game to many thousands of kids and he has relentlessly pushed the Tour’s philanthropic efforts, pouring hundreds of millions of dollars back into local communities." However, the "culture of silence around PEDs and player misconduct is a blackmark." Shipnuck gives Finchem "at least an A- for his tenure." He is "certainly in the conversation for the greatest commissioners in the history of sports." Golf magazine's Joe Passov noted Finchem "deflected the arrows magnificently, and the PGA has managed to stay relevant and to prosper, even during a down time for both the economy and the sport." Golf magazine's Cameron Morfit: "Finchem will certainly leave the Tour in better shape, financially, than he found it, and he's a shrewd guy so I'm sure he’s done some smart things." Golf magazine's Josh Sens said "after a lot of early handwringing about what golf would do" in the absence of Tiger Woods, a lot of players and pundits are saying that the game is "in a healthier place than ever." Finchem "certainly gets partial credit for that." SI's Gary Van Sickle added Finchem "capitalized on Tiger brilliantly." Without Woods, there is a chance Golf Channel "goes under after a few years and the landscape is completely different right now" (GOLF.com, 3/27). 

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