Tim Finchem shouldn’t have had to use his mulligan on this one. The PGA Tour commissioner should have stepped to the tee a long time ago and announced there will be drug testing in golf.
At least Finchem looks like he is getting it right with his second shot.
Wednesday, Finchem reversed his previous stand and said the sport should develop a universal policy on drug testing. Making his statements at the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Conn., he called on the major governing bodies around the world to come up with a single standard for testing.
“Golf needs to move on a global basis,” Finchem said. “In Europe, in particular, and in certain other areas of the world, the idea of testing in athletics is just a reality because it’s government-required.”
Obviously, Finchem has had a change of heart since last August. At the Bridgestone Invitational, he didn’t see a need for drug testing.
“I have no evidence [the players] are taking steroids,” Finchem said then. “If I had an indication a player was taking illegal drugs, I would most likely deal with that player. If we had a pattern, we definitely would take aggressive action.”
Did Finchem see a pattern? Yes, but not from the players.
Rather, he saw a trend developing from other golf organizations. The LPGA beat Finchem to the punch when Commissioner Carolyn Bivens announced drug testing would begin in 2008. The European Tour also is working on a testing policy.
Drug testing on the PGA Tour is inevitable, and the more Finchem stood behind the game’s code of honesty, the more behind the times he looked.
There’s a difference between calling a penalty on yourself during a round and trying to add some muscle to get another 10 yards off the tee.
In 1990, Tom Purtzer was the long-drive leader at 279.6 yards. Last year, Bubba Watson was No. 1 at 319.6 yards.
While it is readily apparent that juiced-up modern clubs and balls are the main reason for the increase, golf shouldn’t be like baseball was and turn a complete blind eye.
Joe Ogilvie, a member of the PGA Tour’s policy board, was quoted last year as saying, “We market the long ball. We market the guys who hit it 300 yards. If that’s your message, and people see that beginning at the high school level, I think as a tour it is very naive to think that somebody down the line won’t cheat.”
Last week, there was a parade of players wearing form-fitting shirts to show off their physiques. Tiger Woods led the pack, looking as if somebody washed his shirt in hot water and then put it in the dryer for two hours.
Woods began the workout craze. He is well aware of the possible abuses and has been outspoken about the need for testing.
“I don’t know when we could get [drug testing] implemented,” Woods said last year. “Tomorrow would be fine with me. I think we should be proactive instead of reactive. I just think we should be ahead of it and keep our sport as pure as possible.”
Finchem said the PGA Tour has begun compiling a list of banned substances and is in the process of launching an education program concerning possible testing and ramifications.
“We’re getting close on that,” Finchem said. “I suspect we’ll be done with that certainly this year. It’s unfortunate that these realities are with us, but they are and we have to deal with them. I think it’s important that golf deal with them collectively.”
Glad the commissioner finally got on board before everyone else left the station.
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esherman@tribune.com
