Outside of his name he's a moron but I had to post this.
The holes go beyond 18
As piddling BMW attendance shows, top stars aren't the only ones shying from the playoff scheme Finchem so hastily forced on the golfing world
September 7, 2007
BY JAY MARIOTTI Sun-Times Columnist
If you wanted to check out a 2008 BMW, including the new hydrogen-powered models, then Cog Hill was a fine place to be Thursday. Otherwise, it felt like the scene of a golfing funeral. I never thought Tiger Woods, reigning rock star of global sports, could play 18 holes in this city and be greeted by a mere trickling of followers.
''This is about what we see for the pro-am,'' Woods said.
''It just didn't seem like there were that many people out there,'' said Jonathan Byrd, your tournament leader. ''He usually brings everybody out.''
But, hey, we know a piece of stink around here when we smell one.
The BMW Championship is a big, rotten lemon, part of a FedEx Cup that absolutely, positively won't be getting good overnight ratings. What could have been a butt-kicking concept -- bringing pomp and finality to a golf season saddled by a seven-month lull between majors -- has been sabotaged by a PGA Tour commissioner who has crammed his creation down our pieholes without proper consideration of the calendar, a rational points system and input from the elite players. It's beyond me how Tim Finchem could launch his four-city playoff extravaganza without the general approval of Woods, a corporation onto himself, and mini-corporations such as Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els. Tiger Inc. is larger than all of this, Finchem must know, and until Woods completely signs off on such a project, it will languish as a September afterthought while America watches the NFL, college football, baseball races and, perhaps, sumo wrestling.
Worse still, the utter confusion is coming at Chicago's expense. When the Western Open was pulled from its 1899 roots and purged for reasons that defy logic, the Western Golf Association held high hopes in hosting the BMW portion of the FedEx Cup. Namely, this would bring major exposure from an event that was supposed to make an annual stop at Cog, which, in turn, would increase funding for the Evans Scholars Foundation. But then came the knife in the back: The PGA Tour decided to rotate Chicago's slot to St. Louis and Indianapolis, meaning a golf hotbed will be without a regular tour stop once every two years. Since when does a massive metropolis accept losing an event to dinky Midwestern rest stops?
'A totally different atmosphere'
So it's no wonder Finchem's baby attracted a first-round gallery usually found at a Putt-Putt course. Does he not realize school is back in session? That people return to work after Labor Day? That sporting passions here involve the defending NFC champion Bears -- who play Sunday in San Diego, leaving the final round of the BMW with scant local TV viewership -- and the coughing, wheezing Cubbies? Woods couldn't help but notice the apathy after shooting a 67, which left him three strokes behind Byrd and in position to win, though few grasp what that means regarding the bizarre FedEx points standings.
''Yeah, it's disappointing,'' Woods said. ''There's a lot of sporting events going on. The date has changed. Kids are back in school. Families aren't coming out as much. It's a totally different atmosphere.''
His comment came a day after he criticized the PGA Tour for yanking Chicago out of the annual equation. For those who were at Cog Hill that day in 1997, when officials let swarms of fans follow him up the 18th fairway, the sparse turnout was as sad as it was jolting. ''Hey, I didn't like that idea,'' Woods said of the every-other-year rotation. ''This is a great town. It's one of the biggest sport towns, if not one of the biggest markets. I don't understand why we can't play here year after year. People have always come out and supported the Western. They've always come out in big droves, and it's unfortunate we're leaving.''
If Finchem sounds like a real prize, be assured he makes Bud Selig look like Commissioner of the Century. An enterprise of this magnitude shouldn't have been trotted out so hastily. There should have been a year or two of lead-in time, with a thorough examination of the golf calendar, the sports schedule and how a year-end event would work best. What's the point of jamming in four weeks of FedEx play only days after the PGA Championship, the final major? The players need sufficient off time to perform at optimum levels.
But Finchem apparently didn't have enough communication with Woods and the lesser likes of Els and Mickelson. Consequently, Woods blew off the first week, Els blew off last week and, in the killer, Mickelson pulled out this week after giving us an elusive thrill in the Tiger Era. He beat Woods last weekend in Boston, setting up what could have been a classic rematch -- or, at least, a Tiger-Phil pairing Thursday and today. But Mickelson, playing his political hand, ripped Finchem and returned home to be with his family. This was something of a weenie decision by Mickelson, whose erratic game and lukewarm future would have benefited from another mano-a-mano duel with Woods. How curious to see him play Tuesday in a corporate event at Medinah, also a day he could have spent with his family.
Elite players out of the loop
Point is, the giants are more interested in sticking it to Finchem than helping his tournament. As commissioner, it's Finchem's job to serve golf's best interests. If he has to kiss their spikes, kiss their spikes. To hear them, he barely even conversed with them. ''They did not express anything to the players,'' Els complained. ''They asked questions, but they didn't come out and say, 'OK, look, this is what we're going to do. What do you think?'''
The players don't like four events in four weeks. And some don't like how a $10 million grand prize comes via an annuity, though I'd rather have more money later than let the IRS skim $4 million now. Whatever, this event is chaotic. And Finchem says he's comfortable with his stance. ''We did a good job reaching out to the players on the details,'' he said. ''Over the last six months, we've discovered a lot of players didn't necessarily want to pay much attention to it.''
Unfortunately, the public isn't paying much attention, either. But I did like the BMW 335i hardtop convertible.
The holes go beyond 18
As piddling BMW attendance shows, top stars aren't the only ones shying from the playoff scheme Finchem so hastily forced on the golfing world
September 7, 2007
BY JAY MARIOTTI Sun-Times Columnist
If you wanted to check out a 2008 BMW, including the new hydrogen-powered models, then Cog Hill was a fine place to be Thursday. Otherwise, it felt like the scene of a golfing funeral. I never thought Tiger Woods, reigning rock star of global sports, could play 18 holes in this city and be greeted by a mere trickling of followers.
''This is about what we see for the pro-am,'' Woods said.
''It just didn't seem like there were that many people out there,'' said Jonathan Byrd, your tournament leader. ''He usually brings everybody out.''
But, hey, we know a piece of stink around here when we smell one.
The BMW Championship is a big, rotten lemon, part of a FedEx Cup that absolutely, positively won't be getting good overnight ratings. What could have been a butt-kicking concept -- bringing pomp and finality to a golf season saddled by a seven-month lull between majors -- has been sabotaged by a PGA Tour commissioner who has crammed his creation down our pieholes without proper consideration of the calendar, a rational points system and input from the elite players. It's beyond me how Tim Finchem could launch his four-city playoff extravaganza without the general approval of Woods, a corporation onto himself, and mini-corporations such as Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els. Tiger Inc. is larger than all of this, Finchem must know, and until Woods completely signs off on such a project, it will languish as a September afterthought while America watches the NFL, college football, baseball races and, perhaps, sumo wrestling.
Worse still, the utter confusion is coming at Chicago's expense. When the Western Open was pulled from its 1899 roots and purged for reasons that defy logic, the Western Golf Association held high hopes in hosting the BMW portion of the FedEx Cup. Namely, this would bring major exposure from an event that was supposed to make an annual stop at Cog, which, in turn, would increase funding for the Evans Scholars Foundation. But then came the knife in the back: The PGA Tour decided to rotate Chicago's slot to St. Louis and Indianapolis, meaning a golf hotbed will be without a regular tour stop once every two years. Since when does a massive metropolis accept losing an event to dinky Midwestern rest stops?
'A totally different atmosphere'
So it's no wonder Finchem's baby attracted a first-round gallery usually found at a Putt-Putt course. Does he not realize school is back in session? That people return to work after Labor Day? That sporting passions here involve the defending NFC champion Bears -- who play Sunday in San Diego, leaving the final round of the BMW with scant local TV viewership -- and the coughing, wheezing Cubbies? Woods couldn't help but notice the apathy after shooting a 67, which left him three strokes behind Byrd and in position to win, though few grasp what that means regarding the bizarre FedEx points standings.
''Yeah, it's disappointing,'' Woods said. ''There's a lot of sporting events going on. The date has changed. Kids are back in school. Families aren't coming out as much. It's a totally different atmosphere.''
His comment came a day after he criticized the PGA Tour for yanking Chicago out of the annual equation. For those who were at Cog Hill that day in 1997, when officials let swarms of fans follow him up the 18th fairway, the sparse turnout was as sad as it was jolting. ''Hey, I didn't like that idea,'' Woods said of the every-other-year rotation. ''This is a great town. It's one of the biggest sport towns, if not one of the biggest markets. I don't understand why we can't play here year after year. People have always come out and supported the Western. They've always come out in big droves, and it's unfortunate we're leaving.''
If Finchem sounds like a real prize, be assured he makes Bud Selig look like Commissioner of the Century. An enterprise of this magnitude shouldn't have been trotted out so hastily. There should have been a year or two of lead-in time, with a thorough examination of the golf calendar, the sports schedule and how a year-end event would work best. What's the point of jamming in four weeks of FedEx play only days after the PGA Championship, the final major? The players need sufficient off time to perform at optimum levels.
But Finchem apparently didn't have enough communication with Woods and the lesser likes of Els and Mickelson. Consequently, Woods blew off the first week, Els blew off last week and, in the killer, Mickelson pulled out this week after giving us an elusive thrill in the Tiger Era. He beat Woods last weekend in Boston, setting up what could have been a classic rematch -- or, at least, a Tiger-Phil pairing Thursday and today. But Mickelson, playing his political hand, ripped Finchem and returned home to be with his family. This was something of a weenie decision by Mickelson, whose erratic game and lukewarm future would have benefited from another mano-a-mano duel with Woods. How curious to see him play Tuesday in a corporate event at Medinah, also a day he could have spent with his family.
Elite players out of the loop
Point is, the giants are more interested in sticking it to Finchem than helping his tournament. As commissioner, it's Finchem's job to serve golf's best interests. If he has to kiss their spikes, kiss their spikes. To hear them, he barely even conversed with them. ''They did not express anything to the players,'' Els complained. ''They asked questions, but they didn't come out and say, 'OK, look, this is what we're going to do. What do you think?'''
The players don't like four events in four weeks. And some don't like how a $10 million grand prize comes via an annuity, though I'd rather have more money later than let the IRS skim $4 million now. Whatever, this event is chaotic. And Finchem says he's comfortable with his stance. ''We did a good job reaching out to the players on the details,'' he said. ''Over the last six months, we've discovered a lot of players didn't necessarily want to pay much attention to it.''
Unfortunately, the public isn't paying much attention, either. But I did like the BMW 335i hardtop convertible.
