- Tim Finchem
Infobox Person
name = Tim Finchem
caption =
birth_date =April 19 ,1947
birth_place =Ottawa, Illinois ,USA
known_for =
occupation =PGA Tour commissioner
nationality = AmericanTimothy W. Finchem (born
April 19 ,1947 ) is the current Commissioner ofgolf 'sPGA Tour .Finchem was born in
Ottawa, Illinois . He took the position onJune 1 ,1994 succeedingDeane Beman . He had previously served as Vice President of Business Affairs, Deputy Commissioner, and Chief Operating Officer of the Tour.Finchem graduated from Princess Anne High School in
Virginia Beach, Virginia . He attended theUniversity of Richmond on a debate scholarship, receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1969. He graduated from theUniversity of Virginia Law School in 1973. After practicing law in Virginia Beach for three years, Finchem served in theWhite House during the administration ofJimmy Carter as Deputy Advisor to the President in the Office of Economic Affairs in 1978 and 1979. In the early 1980s, Finchem co-founded the National Marketing and Strategies Group inWashington, D.C. [http://www.pgatour.com/info/company/executive_bios]As Commissioner, Finchem has greatly expanded the earnings opportunities for PGA Tour players both domestically and internationally. He has presided over the last three television broadcasting deals (1997, 2001 and 2005) and has maximized the earnings potential of the tour, and perhaps none was as bold as the most recent deal that excludes ABC and
ESPN and challengesThe Golf Channel to get better.In 2006, the total PGA Tour purse was $256.8 million, up from $56.4 million in 1994. That remarkable growth has a lot to do with
Tiger Woods , but Finchem's supporters also give him some of the credit. [http://www.golfdigest.com/newsandtour/index.ssf?/newsandtour/gw20060331sirak.html]Finchem received the 2001 Old Tom Morris Award from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, GCSAA's highest honor.
External links
* [http://www.pgatour.com Official site of the PGA Tour]
* [http://www.pgatour.com/company/executive_bios.html PGA Tour Executive Bio]
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