Finchem makes good call on pro-am policy

PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem avoided future criticism of a flawed policy by announcing yesterday that the penalty for missing pro-ams will be suspended for the rest of the season.

The announcement came too late to keep Jim Furyk from being disqualified from last week's Barclays for oversleeping and missing his pro-am time. But at least it addressed the fact that such a punishment didn't fit the crime. Finchem has asked the Players Advisory Council and PGA Tour Policy Board to evaluate the pro-am policy that has been in place since 2004, and the issue will be discussed at the next board meeting in November.

For the last two pro-ams of the FedEx Cup season, this week’s Deutsche Bank Championship and next week’s BMW Championship, and the Fall Series tournaments, a player late for his starting time will be required to play in as many holes of the pro-am as possible, then perform an additional activity such as appearing at a sponsor or tournament social event. Furyk, who could have joined his pro-am team after only two or three holes last week, would have been able to compete in the first round of the FedEx Cup playoffs had such a policy been in place last week.

Unlike the recent gaffes of Dustin Johnson, for grounding his club in a sand trap, and LPGA pro Julie Inkster, for practicing with a swing weight during a round, Furyk's indiscretion wasn't covered under the rules of golf. Instead, it was simply a matter of policy, and it is refreshing to see the PGA Tour take a proactive stance on the issue before any more damage to competition could be done.

An outspoken critic of the discontinued policy was Phil Mickelson, who said disqualifying one of 54 players (top money winners from the year before) in a field of 125 (at The Barclays) “affects the competition.”

“The rule itself applies to only half the field,” he said last week during a news conference at The Barclays. “It’s got to be a different penalty. It can’t be disqualification.”

Apparently, Finchem agreed, and he should be applauded for acting swiftly on the matter.

Information from The Florida-Times Union contributed to this post.