"A notice in Monday’s sports section would do more to speed up the circuit’s habitual snails than a private fine, and it would show the Tour is dedicated to stopping slow play."

Although Tim Finchem made a decent case for why the PGA Tour doesn't need the penalty/fine/suspension transparency found in other sports, Rex Hoggard points out the most glaring weakness of the Commissioner's argument.

That other sports embrace transparency over secrecy seems of little interest to Finchem.

“We are in a little different situation; that if a fight breaks out in the NBA between a couple of players and some fans, the commissioner pretty much needs to say, this is what I did to protect that from not happening again.”

But then if the Tour’s rules, like all laws, are aimed at prevention, then what harm would come from, say, publishing the complete list of “slow play” fines? A notice in Monday’s sports section would do more to speed up the circuit’s habitual snails than a private fine, and it would show the Tour is dedicated to stopping slow play.

Ben Crane Offers Best Incentive Yet To Issue Two-Shot Slow Play Penalties

Rich Lerner interviews Ben Crane about his workout videos and debuts an agonizing new one, this time spoofing his addiction to rudeness, a.k.a. as his slow play addiction. Crane chalks up his inability to be considerate of his fellow golfers to "overtrying, just trying too hard" and because "I care too much."  He also says this "isn't who I am" and, "yes I play slow golf."

So why not make fun of my inconsiderate and entitled ways?

The Commissioner has made clear he does not believe two-stroke penalties are appropriate, but when a player is openly mocking the notion of slow play even as it's become a bigger issue than ever, could this be the time that we start enforcing the 45-second rule?

Finchem On DQ Rule: “I am cautiously optimistic"

Doug Ferguson reports that PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem not only welcomes welcomes viewer call-ins on rules violations, but it also sounds like his visit with the USGA last week has him realizing the governing bodies will not be rewriting the rules to protect those who don't know the rules.

“In Harrington’s case, you could see the ball move a little bit in HD television. You couldn’t see it move in analog. And he didn’t know,” Finchem said. “So there needs to be fairness and common sense to the rule.”

Finchem said he wants the PGA to follow the USGA’s lead and he anticipates they will end up with “a few, little, small” changes to the rules.

“I am cautiously optimistic we’ll get to some modifications that will just create a better system.”

Rolfing Has Even More Reason To Rave About All Things Hawaii

Ann Miller reports on announcer Mark Rolfing's charity becoming the beneficiary of the renamed Hyundai Tournament of Champions. It pays to go fishing with the Commissioner!

Note how Miller puts the current PGA Tour buzzwords in quotes. Underpin! New energy! Energize!

Now SBS will "underpin" the tournament through 2019, according to the tour. That will include hospitality and other on-site activities. The Mark and Debi Rolfing Charitable Foundation became the non-profit host organization, required by the tour, in August.

Back then Rolfing, an NBC golf analyst from Kapalua, characterized his involvement as a "last-gasp" effort to keep the tournament in Hawaii. Hyundai's sponsorship gives the event room to breathe.

Rolfing's vision is to bring "new energy" to the tournament, which he considers vital for its future. Starting in 2011, there will be no admission charge -- a first for the PGA Tour. Rolfing plans to turn the TOC into a weeklong event that will attract people from the whole state and "energize" the world about the start of the golf season.

There will be a Hawaii Junior Golf Festival the Sunday before the tournament and three days of special events similar to baseball's all-star week, with a long-drive contest and pros interacting with amateurs, juniors and celebrities. The night before the tour tees off (Jan. 5), Golf Channel will have a 2-hour prime-time special from the first tee.

"I felt if we could create energy for the tournament by doing different things it would make it more attractive to a new sponsor and, lo and behold, it did," Rolfing said. "I don't think anybody imagined we'd get a new sponsor two months out, but this is going to continue because the new sponsor basically bought into the concept."

And don't you know we'll hear all about from Rolfing during the telecast.