If sports commissioners are supposed to be impartial, then Tim Finchem might face some backlash for cheerleading.
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Of course, when it's Tiger Woods that is being cheered for, the support certainly is understandable.
Reuters.com is reporting that Finchem, the PGA commissioner, assured reporters Tuesday that he would not create a medical exemption for anyone to qualify for the season-ending FedEx Cup playoffs. The playoff is based on points golfers earn for tournament finishes during the regular season.
Woods, who struggled to start the year before undergoing surgery to correct a pinched nerve just before the Masters in April, is 215th on the points list; the top 125 make the playoff. He is 358 points out of the top 125.
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According to Reuters, Woods has missed nearly four months, and his best finish this year was a 25th-place tie at the WGC-Cadillac Championship in March.
"It's a year-long competition," Finchem said at media day for next month's playoffs opening Barclays tournament at Ridgewood Country Club, as Reuters reported. "It (an exemption) kind of muddies up the comparative nature of the competition."
Finchem, however, surprisingly offered his opinion on Woods' chances to make the field.
"I'm looking forward to that player that you're referring to (Woods)...he's got a couple tournaments coming up where he's won on both golf courses and one on which he's won a lot of times," Finchem said, according to Reuters.
"So I'm not one of those who are pessimistic about his immediate or long-term future in the sport."
Woods is scheduled to play in this week's WGC-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club, where he was won eight times.
After that is the final major tournament of the year, the PGA Championship from Aug. 7-10 at Valhalla in Louisville, Ky. Woods won the PGA event in 2000.
Woods also expressed optimism about his golf game returning in time for him to make a run, not only at the season-ending playoff but also at a spot on the Ryder Cup team.
"The speed is developing. The speed is coming back, I continue to get stronger," said Woods. "I've gotten stronger, but we're just now introducing explosive training...which is nice. I'm excited about that."
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