Highlights from Tim Finchem's Thursday conference call

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Here are some of the highlights from PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem's conference call with the media on Thursday:

2009 REVIEW: The commissioner pointed to the FedExCup and Presidents Cup competitions as successes, along with individual performances including as Tiger Woods' return from injury and Phil Mickelson's solid play at the end of the year. "It was a good year inside the ropes," he said.

SPONSORSHIP EXTENSIONS: The commissioner announced that BMW will continue as the title sponsor of the BMW Championship after agreeing to an extension through 2014. He also said an extension will soon be announced for THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, and that a six-year extension has been reached with the Southern Company regarding its involvement with THE TOUR Championship and as sponsor of the Payne Stewart Award.

Noting the previous sponsorship announcements this year, the commissioner noted that "13 major pieces of business" have been concluded in 2009. "We've just had a phenomenal year, I think, in the sponsorship marketplace," he said.

In terms of 2010, the commissioner said the first two events in California in late January -- the Bob Hope Classic and the San Diego Open -- do not currently have title sponsors but that "I wouldn't rule out the possibility of having sponsorship involved in either or both."

GOLF IN 3-D: The commissioner noted than Sony and the PGA TOUR have a "new strategic partnership" to bring the 3-D format to golf with the 2011 Sony Open in Hawaii. At the 2010 event next month, the format will go for a test run, with coverage of practice and pro-am rounds, "just to show the members of the media and fans just what 3-D quality coverage can mean for the future and the state of the technology right now," he said.

CHARITY: The commissioner said the PGA TOUR and its tournaments will finish the year giving $109 million to charity after recording a record-high $125 million in 2008. He said the current estimates for charity contributions in 2010 will be between $115 million to $117 million. "We now project that we will rebound nicely," he said.

IMPACT OF TIGER'S INDEFINITE LEAVE: "We are going to be successful in '10," the commissioner said. "If Tiger is out for a couple of months or eight months or a year, we're going to have a successful year. It won't be at the same levels without our No. 1 player, there's no question about that. No sport would be at the same level without its No. 1 player. But I think the doom and gloom needs to go away, and frankly it's misleading to our fans."

The commissioner said he has not spoken to Woods in the past few weeks but left no doubt that he anticipates the return of Woods at some point. "I have every expectation that Tiger Woods ... is going to rejoin this relationship with golf and be a contributing factor to it. He by his own statement has a lot of work to do to get to that point with the issues and family questions that he's got to deal with, but I fully anticipate that he'll be back and part of that growth," the commissioner said.

LOCATION OF BMW CHAMPIONSHIP: With the Ryder Cup set for Medinah in 2012, the event -- which is part of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup -- will be played that year at Crooked Stick north of Indianapolis. In all other years up through 2014, the tournament will be held at Cog Hill in Chicago.

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE SKIT: The commissioner said it was "kind of flattering" that Saturday Night Live would do a skit involving an actor playing him. "I didn't think the guy did me very well," Finchem said. "He got the tie right, but the thing that I told our folks here I wanted to do is have this press conference on video and then have ... a blank wall behind me, and as I'm talking, people are coming in and putting up the logos of our sponsors until the wall is falling down from so many logos because we have about 90 sponsors. But they didn't think that would go over that well. However, they did present me with an honorary flask, and I'm enjoying that."

To read the full transcript of the commissioner's teleconference, click here.