Outgoing PGA Tour Commissioner said his successor Jay Monahan "gives off a sense of confidence to people" and is a "good manager because he always keeps everybody looking down the road," according to a Q&A with Jerry Tarde of GOLF DIGEST. Finchem's "greatest achievement" came in '07 and '08, at the "depth of the financial crisis, when he never blinked, slyly tapping into his reserve funds and keeping the purses growing until the economy kicked in and the tour roared back." Below are excerpts from the Q&A, some of which have been edited for brevity.
Q: What do you think was your No. 1 accomplishment in the job?
Finchem: Developing a solid working relationship between our executive staff and the players. And making good choices (in hiring) people. When you get bright, creative people who come up with good ideas, and good managers who can execute them, you're going to be successful.
Q: What qualities in Jay Monahan made you endorse him as your successor?
Finchem: His skill set, his background, his knowledge of sports from the bottom up, is much superior to what I enjoyed when Deane [Beman] made me deputy commissioner. ... He really connects with people. ... He has this ability to say things that draw you in.
Q: So what's your day going to be like when you retire?
Finchem: I'm going to try to take two half-days a week to do intensive work on my game by myself, really practice. And play at least three rounds a week.
Q: What would be the harm of fines/suspensions being made public? Why is your organization different from the NFL the NBA and MLB?
Finchem: You have to consider two things. One is the level of the action or violation. And the other is to your point, what's the harm? If a player broke out into a fistfight with somebody. ... The public has a right to know our reaction. ... But we don't think we need to tell everybody, because we want people to view our players as role models.
Q: If you left a letter on your desk for the next commissioner, what would it say?
Finchem: I would tell Jay that he's got all the tools; he's gonna do great. But keep in balance everything from a time standpoint, because it's so much fun doing this job with these people that you just want to work all the time (GOLFDIGEST.com, 11/8).
