US PGA TOUR CHIEF SEES REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL

FROM THE PGATOUR.COM WEBSITE
By Helen Ross
PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida -- Despite the challenging economic climate, US PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem is pleased by the Tour's performance both on and off the golf course over the last 12 months.
In his final teleconference of the 2011 season, Finchem pointed toward the play of FedExCup champion Jim Furyk, Charles Schwab Cup champion Bernhard Langer and Nationwide Tour Player of the Year Jamie Lovemark as competitive benchmarks.
The rise of a new breed of players like US PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Rickie Fowler and Dustin Johnson, who challenged the established stars like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, was another highlight of the 2010 campaign, he said.
"I've never in my tenure seen so much buzz and interest about rookies and young players creating exciting performances," Finchem said.
"Actually, it has led us to conclude that we really need to focus on that dynamic as we go into 2011, and it will be our primary promotional focus to get people to pay attention to how well the veterans continue to play, and the young stars, the competition between the newer generation and the more experienced and older players, we think makes for good theatre this year, and we are excited about that development."
On the business side, the commissioner noted that six new sponsors have been added on the US PGA Tour level with eight renewals and several more on the horizon. Only two tournaments in a solid schedule of 45 events remain without a corporate sponsor and both are fully-funded for 2011.
"Although we continue to be challenged by underlying economic indicators and a concern among business about the economic future, we still have signed a lot of business," Finchem said.
"We now have over 30 percent of US PGA Tour title sponsorships extended beyond 2012. And so we made solid progress."
Other highlights of the press conference were:
• The final tabulations aren't done but the US PGA Tour and its events will have raised more than $120 million for charity in 2010. "That's a reflection of the strength of our tournament organisations, strength of the business model, and an uptake in sponsorship," Finchem said. "All three of those things I think work to the benefit of the bottom line of tournaments."
• The off week is positioned after the second event of the US PGA Tour Play-offs for the FedExCup rather than the third in 2011, but Finchem doesn't foresee any changes in the points structure of the FedEdCup.
The top five players entering the finale at East Lake all had a chance to win, but Furyk came from No. 11 to take the top spot and the $10 million bonus when he won THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola.
"I wouldn't ever say we wouldn't change it, but right now, we are very comfortable with it and we really like the trajectory of interest and focus by the fans on the Cup," Finchem said.
• The US PGA Tour will begin renegotiating its TV contracts in 2011. Finchem sees it as a "different mix of conversations" this time around since the Tour's cable partner, Golf Channel, is now a part of NBC Universal through its ownership of Comcast.
Obviously, the reach is broadened when Tiger Woods plays, but Finchem feels the "core audience is there week-in and week-out. It's not at the same level from a sales standpoint as it is at a higher rating point, but it is at an acceptable level. It is at a level that allows us to grow, and I think that that dynamic and that reality is sort of the backdrop to any conversations we have with television."
• Finchem expects to see players broaden their US PGA Tour schedules in 2011 to include tournaments that they might not ordinarily have played. This volunteer effort -- rather than a designated tournament rule -- is designed to help bolster the fields of some events that haven't necessarily been frequented by the game's top players.
"In the conversations I've had with players, certainly the reports I've seen up and through last week -- well, we are seeing a lot of movement," Finchem said. "So I think it's going to have the desired effect, but we'll wait and see how the year plays out."