As Commissioner Moonbeam enters the final two years of his reign heading the PGA Tour, we've officially enter the weird phase where he randomly says things that remind you it's time to start spending more time counting his millions.

Rex Hoggard quotes the Commish talking about the oddity of Team USA's Ryder Cup foursomes woes even as they dominate in Presidents Cup foursomes. The talk turned to how nice it would be if more foursomes was played in the U.S., in part because rounds are faster when played that way (not to mention it serves as a great social round). Great stuff!

But then the Commish just couldn't leave well enough alone...

To Finchem, however, the endless quest to make the game faster – even at the highest levels where it took more than five hours last week to play a round at the WGC-HSBC Champions … in threesomes – is akin to making molehills out of mountains.

“If you go to Augusta or Pine Valley or Cypress Point and you’re playing with some single-digit handicaps how long does it take you to play? Four hours,” he answered. “If it’s 4:15 (hours) or 4:20, you’re going to worry about shaving 10 minutes off [a round]? It’s not a driving factor. Everybody talks about playing faster; that doesn’t make a lot of sense.”

This is true Commissioner, when you and your golf cronies play a once-in-a-lifetime course, why yes, you aren't in a hurry, but since that represents .01% of the rounds played in America, you have merely confirmed you've been in the bubble just a bit too long!

Couple this with his unspoken edict blocking your rules staff from issuing slow play penalties, and it really has become clear that Tim Finchem is the enemy of speeding up rounds.

October 22, 2014

Commish Open To Foursomes Play At...Monday Pro-Ams!

October 22, 2014/ Geoff Shackelford

Leave it to Commissioner Tim Finchem to, like most things, almost-but-not-quite get it right when it comes to something golf-related. This time it's the topic of Team USA's lousy play in Ryder Cup foursomes.

Alex Miceli reports that Finchem was not asked to be on the PGA of America task force Task Force, but sees a "silver lining" in our lousy foursomes play as a way to introduce the format to more Americans who do not understand why UK golfers enjoy playing a faster way. If only he could have stopped there...

“One of the silver linings on these things would be if foursomes golf could develop some traction in the U.S. We are strapped for (open) weeks,” said Finchem, who acknowledged the possibility of “a little side event” that could include foursomes.

Dare I mention restoration of the old Tuesday PGA Tour practice round exhibitions...oh right, we close the course on PGA Tour Championship Management Tuesdays now. Sorry, go on...

Finchem also mentioned the possibility of a special Monday pro-am that would feature a pro and amateur paired in foursomes.

“There are things you can do,” Finchem conceded. “I think that should be an area of focus.”

Ah yes, an alternate shot Monday pro-am with a PGA Tour player and a 15 handicapper is going to button things up for Team USA going forward! Yep, that'll really help! There is that one problem of Monday pro-ams being a place that most Ryder Cuppers tend to not be seen.

October 22, 2014

Opportunities! PGA Tour Trying To Help Its Starving Millennials

October 22, 2014/ Geoff Shackelford

Debatable is the pure genius it took to commit golf to an exhausting, annoying, neverending wraparound schedule at the expense of the common sense that says every entertainment product needs to go away for a bit. Not debatable was the new calendar year's schedule's discrimination against younger players and the PGA Tour's ever-expanding list of medical exemptions clogging fields each week.

But as Rex Hoggard reports, the PGA Tour has listened to their critics and is working hard to expand fall fields and lessen the role of the medicallty exempt. This doesn't solve the problem of pro golf as a year-round enterprise that annoys in its persistence (especially compared to other sports), but it's at least a righting of the inequity that has arisen for up-and-coming players.

All told, the Tour has added up to 180 new playing opportunities next fall and the circuit’s moves have already started paying off. Last week in Las Vegas 13 more players from the Web.com Tour category received a spot in the field compared to last season and this week at Sea Island 25 more are on the tee sheet.

“We’re looking at everything to get more Web.com Tour guys into tournaments top to bottom,” Finchem said.

“We are doing some things and will watch it for a year or maybe two and see where it comes out.”

The Tour also plans to adjust the major medical exemption category to increase access for the Web.com Tour graduates. Beginning with the 2014-15 season, medical exemptions will be capped at three seasons unless there are “extreme circumstances” which should, over time, reduce a category that has grown to 14 players this season.