Should Tim Finchem be fired in 2009?
2009 should be a make or break year for PGA Commissioner Tim Finchem. His lame-brained idea for the FedEx Cup, with $10 million escrow payouts to the victors (Tiger Wood and Vijay Singh), has done nothing to raise the popularity of the PGA Tour, while at the same time overextending the tour financially.
If the PGA Tour wants to use “gimmicks” to generate fan interest, The Golf Blog has the perfect gimmick: use the $10 million payout from the FedEx on a bonus or “bounty” to whatever player can beat Tiger Woods after he is leading or tied for a tournament after 54 holes. The bonus could be $5 million for a regular tourney, or $10 million for a major. Whoever can beat Tiger Woods after he has a 54 hole lead gets the bonus. (And if Tiger wins, no one gets a bonus.) Sound like an off-the-wall idea? Sure, but at least it would generate more attention for the tour than Finchem’s lame-brained idea of a “playoff” system. When you have 4 majors, “playoffs” in golf are a farce.
So how can Finchem save his job? Well, a lot is out of his hands and in the hands of Tiger Woods. Tiger is the best marketing for the Tour, so his comeback this year is essential. But Finchem will need to (1) make sure to keep all the sponsors invested in golf despite the tough economic conditions and (2) start making the PGA events more affordable to the average American. Ticket prices at tour events should be lowered, and so should the price of water! Golf should be a sport for everyone, not just the wealthy.
UPDATE: There was a mandatory players meeting at the Buick Invitational. Everyone knows the state of sponsors for the PGA Tour is fragile, and the PGA Tour could be facing some tough times. Tim Fichem is trying to require Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson and other big names to show up to every tournament at least once every 4 year (“1 in 4 rule”). Things are beginning to sound desperate. But Finchem still doesn’t get it. He needs to address first the biggest mistake he’s made in his tenure: the lame-brained idea of a playoff system in the FedEx Cup with $10 million escrow payouts to the winner. Stop bleeding the PGA Tour on a gimmick. College football needs a playoff system, but golf doesn’t, especially not at a cost of $10 million plus.
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