Finchem talks rules changes, European defections

The PGA Tour is taking on water on all sides, from ratings slides to sponsor departures to competition to fan frustration, and on Tuesday tour commissioner Tim Finchem publicly addressed some of the tour's biggest challenges. Nothing was solved -- there are committees to convene and reports to prepare, after all -- but Finchem at least gave the appearance of understanding that there are some real problems requiring immediate attention.

First off, the rules. The PGA Tour works with the USGA to determine both rules and penalties for violations. There's a definite punishment-doesn't-fit-the-crime vibe going here -- unintentional actions leading to the hammer of disqualification -- and Finchem noted the imbalance there. He also noted that technology, from HD television to easy access to tour officials, has complicated matters in a way that wasn't even imaginable when the rules were created. 

"I think the suggestion has been made in the past that perhaps it would be adequate to have an additional two-shot penalty to a player who had no knowledge that he violated a rule, and the tournament was over or the round was over, the scorecard was signed, and he is disqualified," Finchem said.

He pointed out that the "rules as they're written create a focus on players on knowing the rules and/or checking with officials when they don't know the rules, which is why we have officials out on the golf course." That covers, say, Dustin Johnson at the PGA Championship, but not Camilo Villegas' unintentional swipe at debris or Padraig Harrington's unknowing movement of his ball on the green. In both cases, the player didn't realize he'd committed a violation, and in both cases, the player was booted after viewer tips.

So, yes, there will be discussion. We'll see how it turns out, pending negotiations and give-and-take and all the other bureaucratic back-and-forth.

In other news, Finchem took a not-so-subtle shot at the European Tour, particularly given the fact that so many top players in the world are opting out of the PGA Tour.

"They have struggled more than we have with this downturn," Finchem said. "They've had to morph their schedule into the Middle East and now Asia to find markets to support their Tour. I applaud that. [...] Candidly, it's probably more important on the European Tour that some of those [top] players play over there than it is for us that they play here."

Yeah! Yeah! We didn't want you over here anyway, Euros! Finchem did take the high road when discussing Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy potentially skipping the tour's own marquee event, The Players Championship:

"I'm disappointed that they're not playing, but I'm not troubled by it," he said. "I feel we'll have an excellent field again. It's a premier tournament on a great golf course with a great pedigree of champions, and the highest purse of the year. We'll have a fantastic tournament. My only message to those guys is you're always welcome, and we'd love to have you back."

So, yeah, no huge news here, but credit Finchem for at least addressing some of the sport's main problems. It's a start.  

For a full transcript of the interview, click here. 

Zhang Ziyi Nikki Reed Natasha Bedingfield Audrina Patridge Simone Mütherthies