Tim Finchem’s 22-year reign as the commissioner of the PGA Tour is ending, but the fun is just beginning.
According to a Tour pro who spoke on condition of anonymity, the commish was offered a membership to Augusta National Golf Club as part of his sendoff.
The Augusta invite was referenced at a recent Tour policy board meeting where, the source said, the assembled players playfully “roasted” the outgoing commish and presented him with some parting tributes and gifts of their own.
According to the source, Finchem received a spot in the upcoming AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am — with the award-winning Thomas Keller serving as his personal chef for the week — and he will be honored at the 2017 Memorial in Dublin, Ohio.
One of the most touching gifts came in the form of a video message to Finchem from the late Arnold Palmer, taped just three weeks before the golf legend’s death. According to the source, no one knew the tribute was coming and it left the whole room “bawling.”
PGA Tour spokesperson Ty Votaw did not respond to an email inquiry about the Augusta membership. Augusta National does not comment on its membership roll.
