THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, August 16, 1994 TAG: 9408160470
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Long : 105 lines
He served at the White House as an adviser under Jimmy Carter and was part of Walter Mondale's presidential campaign team.
So is it any wonder that one of the first big events Tim Finchem will oversee as the new commissioner of the PGA Tour is called The President's Cup?
``My political career ended long ago,'' Finchem said with a laugh. ``Anyway, the majority of those I work with now on a day-to-day basis are staunch Republicans.''
That didn't keep Finchem from dropping in on a fund-raiser for U.S. Congressman Owen Pickett (D-Va.) on Monday at Stumpy Lake Golf Course. Finchem and Pickett have known each other since 1970, striking up a friendship that was worth the trip for Finchem to show support for Pickett, who is running for a fifth consecutive term as representative of Virginia's second district.
Simply put, Pickett has held his office significantly longer than Finchem, who succeeded Deane Beman on June 1.
But Finchem must feel like he has been on the political bandwagon for the last 11 weeks. In that span, he has been on the road an average of 4 1/2 days a week and has visited nine tournament sites.
``And I've met with 185 players on the regular tour and 73 on the Senior Tour,'' Finchem said.
With all the numbers being thrown around, the one that has grated on Finchem's nerves the most, and the one he feels is being overplayed, is the big zero that American-born players posted in major championships this season. For the first time since the inception of the Masters in 1934, foreign players won all four major titles.
Spain's Jose Maria Olazabal won the Masters, South Africa's Ernie Els won the U.S. Open and Zimbabwe's Nick Price won the British Open and the recently completed PGA Championship.
Finchem said he'd be concerned if he didn't have some of those players on the PGA Tour.
``But it's much more significant from where I sit that Nick Price is playing on the PGA Tour and making it exciting for fans,'' Finchem said. ``Too much is being made of the U.S. vs. everyone else. Golf is an international game, and it's good for the game for players from all over the world to succeed.''
Finchem, however, admits he'll be rooting for the U.S. contingent when the President's Cup is played Sept. 16-18 at the Robert Trent Jones Club in Manassas, Va.
The President's Cup may be the newcomer in international competition in comparison with the Ryder Cup. But with players such as Price, Els and Greg Norman, the PGA Tour's leading money-winner, representing the international team, Finchem sees promise for immediate success.
The first 10 members of the international team will be taken from the Sony World Rankings, excluding players eligible for the European Ryder Cup team. After that, international team captain David Graham will select two additional players. Other likely team members include David Frost, Vijay Singh, Craig Parry, Steve Elkington, Peter Senior and Mark McNulty.
The U.S. team will be selected by a points system, running from last year's World Series of Golf to this year's, with team captain Hale Irwin selecting the last two players.
Likely Americans include Phil Mickelson, Corey Pavin, Loren Roberts, Fred Couples, Davis Love III and Tom Kite. Irwin might be tempted to select himself as a playing captain, seeing as how he ranks sixth on this year's money list and fourth among American-born players.
Where the Ryder Cup has been a stellar event for the last dozen years, Finchem sees some advantages to the President's Cup. Sunday matches that are deadlocked after 18 holes will be decided by sudden death. And if the teams are tied at the end of play, each captain will select one player, and they will go head-to-head in sudden death.
``It will add an element of excitement if it comes to that,'' Finchem said. ``The bottom line is that if it's close and exciting, it will take off in popularity.''
Finchem touched on other matters Monday, including:
Succeeding Beman.
``It's an entirely different circumstance than when he took over. When Deane Beman became commissioner in 1974, the PGA Tour had assets of $400,000 and had 18 employees. The PGA Tour has assets of $250 million today and 2,500 employees. It's a big business. Most of the players have told me, `I'm glad you got the job, Tim. Don't screw it up.' ''
The Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic's undesirable dates in mid-July.
``It isn't a great date. First, it's followed by the British Open, and second, it's really hot. In a perfect world, we'd like to play every tournament on a perfect week. Plus, Anheuser-Busch is a big sponsor of the PGA Tour. And (Kingsmill touring pro) Curtis Strange plays an important aspect in the Anheuser-Busch, and Curtis and I go back a long way (both are graduates of Princess Anne High School).
``But when the Anheuser-Busch left network television (NBC to ESPN two years ago), that made it harder. We need a reconfiguration of the television setup with Anheuser-Busch. We are making considerations, and there could be a change in the next three or four years.''
His most pressing task at hand.
``The Federal Trade Commission has been studying the PGA Tour for the last four years and appears close to recommending changes in our conflicting-events policies and television rules. If that were to happen, (American) golf would be converted into something of a cross between tennis and pro wrestling. If it develops, we have a lot of work to do.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
New PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem is a former adviser to
President Carter and campaigned for Walter Mondale.
by CNB