Why I Feel Empathy for Tim Finchem & the PGA Tour

I phoned into the PGA Tour's press conference yesterday morning.  Under most circumstances, the press conference would be a relatively benign review of '09 and a brief preview of '10.  Everyone on that call yesterday knew that was not going to be the case.

Commissioner Finchem was going to have to address questions from the media about the impact of Tiger's infidelity and subsequent undetermined (not really indefinite, there will be an end) self-relegation from the sport.  Bloomberg's Mike Buteau says that the impact could be in the order of $220 million - nearly as much as the Tour presents its total tournament purse for next season.

What do you want Finchem to say to questions about the financial impact and perception change people may have about Tiger and golf?  There's no way that he can say that it's time to press the panic button. 

For one, that's not entirely true.  In '09, a number of Tour sponsors re-signed for long-term extensions.  2010 may prove difficult with talks of up to a dozen other sponsors wavering in their support of the Tour, even before this Tiger mess started.  Still, I believe Finchem when he says that he did not expect the kind of renewals that he got this year.

Second, what kind of message does that send if the Tour were to go in a tizzy over one golfer's crossover into pop culture?  Effectively to acknowledge that would be tantamount to dissing every other Tour player in one sentence.  Finchem - a representative of all of the Tour's players - can't say that.  He has to be diplomatic.  He has to spin, even if we in the media perceive him having to spin more than he really does.  That's why he is the third highest paid employee of the PGA Tour behind Tiger Woods and whoever comes in second on the money list each year.

Then Finchem was asked about whether he could've done anything to counsel Tiger about his problems.  Like Finchem even knew what the problems were.  People are claiming that Tiger's own agent didn't know.  Writers like Len Shapiro and Gene Wojciechowski claim that they had no idea of Tiger's transgressions.  It is almost as though some might hold Finchem to a higher standard, knowing what all of his players are doing at once.  Again, if Elin didn't really know about the affairs, how would Tim Finchem?

The PGA Tour probably learned as much about the story from tabloids as you or I.  It was probably a surreal experience - like it was for me - to read TMZ, Life & Style, etc.  That doesn't happen in golf.

What Finchem normally does is respond to questions about sponsors.  He had answers about sponsors yesterday - relationships with BMW, Sony, and a senior tour event sponsored by Ensure (insert joke here).  That's what he has.

On other topics, we should expect Finchem to respond with tepid answers.  He has to do that.  That doesn't mean that he is immune from criticism.  Hardly, and Alex Miceli outlines very clearly why.  But it's worth taking a few seconds to understand that the guy can't come out like Debbie Downer - even if he believes that, which he may not.