Finchem covers plenty in roundtable discussion
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents
PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. -- It was golf's version of a fireside chat.
Only this time, the medium was television, not radio like President Franklin Roosevelt used in the 1930s and '40s. And on this damp, chilly Wednesday afternoon on the California coast, the warmth of a fire most literally would have been welcome.
This roundtable with PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem took place in the GOLF CHANNEL's traveling studio, a tent scenically stationed this week between the ninth and 10th fairways at Riviera Country Club during the Northern Trust Open pro-am.
The interview featured questions from Rich Lerner of GOLF CHANNEL, New York Times golfwriter Larry Dorman and GolfWorld's Tim Rosaforte. It will air in its entirety on golfchannel.com and in two separate segments during Golf Central this weekend.
Finchem talked about drug-testing, the success of the FedExCup and the TOUR's new cut policy, which is currently being reviewed. The most interesting part of the wide-ranging, 45-minute discussion, though, may have been about the commissioner himself.
Like his prowess in the kitchen, which is as considerable as Finchem's solid 5 handicap on the relatively rare occasions he gets to play golf. While it's been written that he's a gourmet cook, Finchem stopped well short of calling himself a chef.
"I follow recipes -- there's a big difference between that and being a chef," a relaxed Finchem said with a smile. "I find cooking to be therapeutic. I don't know if I am a single digit handicap as a cook, though. It depends on what I'm cooking."
On the golf course, though, there is no such indecision. Finchem played his first round of golf when he was 9 years old with his father, who was in the Marines. He didn't have his first lesson until he was 30, but he nonetheless developed into an accomplished player.
Finchem's career round came at Turnberry, when he shot a 69. Not unlike the rest of us duffers wanting to commemorate a similar accomplishment, he still has that scorecard.
"It was such a calm day," Finchem recalled. "One of the caddies who had been there 14 years said it was the first time he had ever heard the bees. I told him when I finished the round, I said, yeah, that's fine, but when I explain this day to my grandchildren, it will be a howling wind and the rain was going sideways."
In case you were wondering, Finchem hasn't played every course that hosts a PGA TOUR event. Not even close. Riviera, for example, is one where he's yet to get in 18 holes, although he's had plenty of offers.
"You can probably get a tee time," someone suggested, bringing a smile to Finchem's face as he looked out on the 10th fairway.
Finchem said his mother, Rita, a devout Irish Catholic who died last week at the age of 88, helped guide him toward law and the political arena. His debate skills, which led to a scholarship at the University of Richmond, came naturally after growing up with five brothers and sisters.
Finchem served as the Deputy Advisor to President Jimmy Carter in the Office of Economic Affairs in 1978 and '79, and served as the national staff director for the Carter-Mondale campaign in 1980. He founded the National Strategies and Marketing Group in the early 1980s and remained in the Washington, D.C., area until 1987 when he joined the PGA TOUR as vice president of business affairs.
The "excitement and intensity" of politics attracted Finchem, who admitted he aspired to a career in government while he was in law school at the University of Virginia. He still gets to practice those skills of negotiation and consensus-building, though, as the PGA TOUR's commissioner, a position he has held since June, 1994.
"I get asked all the time if I miss politics," Finchem said Wednesday afternoon. "Charlie Howell asked me just this morning. I get enough of (politics) out here. I don't miss it, but I learned from it."
Finchem's job as commissioner has taken him all over the world. He has been at the helm during a decade of tremendous growth as Tiger Woods came to dominate the game. And just last year, Finchem led the ground-breaking introduction of the FedExCup, which gave golf a big-bang finish and its winner, Tiger Woods, a $10 million bonus, the largest in sports.
When he does have time to relax, Finchem enjoys snowboarding and skiing, as well as an occasional round of golf with the "Munchkins," the founding members at the TPC Sawgrass, and other friends. Music is another one of his passions.
Finchem, as the father of three teenaged daughters, is marginally acquainted with hip-hop and rap. His tastes, though, run more toward classic rock and roll, most specifically the Rolling Stones and the Eagles.
"Steel Wheels, was in '89, '90," Finchem said, "flexing his rock and roll chops," Lerner interjected. "In '94 when the Stones were in San Francisco during THE TOUR Championship, that was a pretty good show.
"(I like) the Eagles, too. I went with Peter Jacobsen in '96 to see the Eagles, and of course, Glenn Frey is a big (golfer). They're probably the best band of all time. I've seen them twice since. They put on a phenomenal show."
Among his favorite Eagles songs is Already Gone. "The song just makes you feel freedom," Finchem said. "Just personal freedom. It's about unchaining from a relationship but in a broader sense, the feel, the rhythm is kind of airy feeling."
Finchem said Frey, the Eagles' lead singer, once told him about the band's first gig in Aspen, Colo., in the late 1960s. The band split a total of $60 for the night's performance.
"They were on tour in '96 and there wasn't one seat on the entire tour in the United States and around the world that wasn't less than 60 bucks," Finchem said. "And they are in front of 25,000 per night."
The PGA TOUR commissioner can appreciate that kind of growth.
NOTE: The complete discussion can be seen on GOLF CHANNEL in two parts. The first part will air Saturday during the 9 p.m. ET edition of Golf Central, while the second part will be aired Sunday during the 9 p.m. ET edition of Golf Central.
You can watch the entire discussion anytime at golfchannel.com
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