Finchem disappointed by stars’ absences

PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem isn’t happy that Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson chose to miss this week’s Tour Championship.

Woods, the top player in the world, pulled out of the season-ending event for the first time in his career, citing fatigue, and Mickelson has traditionally wound down his playing schedule for the season after the PGA Championship in August.

“I’m against it,” Finchem told a news conference at East Lake Golf Club on Wednesday. “I’m disappointed, candidly. There’s no other way to characterize it.

“Phil was not a surprise to me. Now that I know the details of Tiger’s statement from last week, I understand how he came to his conclusion.

“It doesn’t make me less disappointed, but I understand how he got there and I recognize that he’s had a good, solid run of commitment to this tournament.”

Woods, champion at East Lake in 1999, said he needed to recharge his batteries after a season featuring eight PGA Tour victories and the illness and subsequent death of his father.

Finchem says he believes the radical shake-up of the PGA Tour for next year, when the Tour Championship will end the inaugural FedExCup series with the final points leader claiming $10 million, will attract the game’s best players.

“I don’t have guarantees from anybody, but they tell me they want to play,” he said. “They’re looking forward to it and they like the way the competition sets up.

“If you’ve heard one refrain from Tiger and other top players over the years, it’s that they want to play against all the best players more often.

“That’s why he plays in the events he plays in, because that’s where all the best players are.”