5. 14.2012

the tour
and augusta

pga tour commissioner tim finchem’s inartful reply to a question about augusta national’s lack of female members caused quite a stir. the commish said: “we have concluded a number of times now, and we have certainly not moved off of this, that we are not going to give up the masters as a tournament on our tour. it’s too important. and so, at the end of the day, the membership of that club have to determine their membership. they are not doing anything illegal.” what finchem should have said was that the masters, just like the u.s. open, the british open and the pga championship, are not tournaments on his, or anyone else’s, tour no matter how important the pga tour likes to think it is. ultimately, although influential, the tour has no control over the major championships. none. the pga tour conducts its tournaments on non-discriminatory courses. it might prefer that augusta national admit women, but it has no sway over angc’s internal workings, regardless of where you come down on that issue. the idea that, somehow, the pga tour could influence its members to not play in the masters (as if it could—it can’t even get them to play in their own events), or that the masters would not count as an “official” event, with all the ramifications that would have on money list titles and points races, is pure poppycock. —J.M.