Finchem backs World Championship
PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem has welcomed the announcement of the Dubai World Championship, insisting it will be good for professional golf across the world.
The European Tour announced on Monday their plans for a season-ending tournament in Dubai, to begin in November 2009.
The European circuit has long since struggled to compete with the financial pull of the PGA Tour. But the new tournament will be worth €6.6m, becoming richer than any event currently on the United States’ circuit.
“I think it is terrific,” said Finchem.
“It is terrific for professional golf globally; it is great for the European Tour and the players who play on that tour consistently.
“World-class athletes in our sport should be paid and compensated at the same level as team sports, and to see the work that the European Tour has done to bring this tournament on is a tremendous development.”
Finchem also believes the tournament’s arrival will put to bed criticism that the PGA Tour’s rising purses were hurting the game.
He added: “It also has the side-effect, you hope, of reducing the clamour we have heard the last few years that – because the purse on the PGA tour is so high – somehow the quality of professional golf is suffering.
“We have never believed that. But it is measured in the context of big tournaments and big bonus pools, and this certainly helps eradicate this issue.”
Meanwhile, Finchem defended the lack of any of the United States top performers this season representing their country at the Omega Mission Hills World Cup this week.
The USA have only one player in the top 50 of the world rankings – Boo Weekley - at the tournament. His partner, Heath Slocum, is currently ranked 70th.
In contrast, England have their number one player in Justin Rose taking part - while his partner is the World number 20 Ian Poulter.
But Finchem stressed the PGA Tour does not have the power to force higher-ranking players to commit to tournaments, adding that they can only strive to make events more attractive to entice the players.
“The reality is that in the game of golf the competitors are not a member of a labour union and they are not under contract to play,” he said.
“They can go and play as they choose, and in fact we have made it much easier for them to move around different tours.
“Our job is to make the tournaments we schedule attractive enough to attract players.”
