Touching base with Freddie
Updated: March 9, 2005, 4:31 PM ET
By Bob Verdi | Golf World
Fred Couples, do you promise to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?
"I do. That is a tape recorder, isn't it?"
You are PGA Tour commissioner for a day. There's talk of changes – a shorter season. What do you do?
Couples would make his share of changes if he had Tim Finchem's position.
"First of all, I have no complaints about the way I've been treated. I don't want to sound like a spoiled brat, but should there be changes? Of course. We can't stand still."
Well, you really haven't. Prize money has gone one way – up.
"True. Our sponsors, the support we get, unbelievable. But I wonder where it's going. The tour has big TV negotiations coming up this year. Are we going to keep getting more? I hear we'll be lucky to get what we have now."
Is that enough to keep players happy?
"Well, that's who I'm looking out for, the players.Vijay Singh won nine tournaments last year. Phenomenal. But people say, 'Well, yeah, but he made almost $11 million.' I think for that skill level, it should be $14 or $15 million."
You're a fan of other sports. How much are your opinions based on that?
"Oh, a lot. If Vijay were a free agent in baseball, can you imagine what George Steinbrenner would pay him after a year like that? Instead, he starts out 2005 with zero."
But isn't that the essence of the PGA Tour? Pay for performance, not promise. Miss the cut, no money.
"It is, but are our best players, the four or five guys who really drive the bus, getting what they deserve? For instance, you had the WGC-Accenture Match Play event worth $7 million going against the Chrysler Classic of Tucson the same weekend for a $3 million purse. That's nuts."
How so?
"The best 64 golfers are at the Match Play. That field should be worth, I don't know, 10 times what the other tournament is worth. That way, the best guys would be paid more because they deserve more."
Should the Tucson event be eliminated?
"That ain't gonna happen. We all know the season is too long, but if you have sponsors willing to put up the money, fine. What we do for charity is great. But the best guys want to play the best guys, and those tournaments are just different. I don't knock the guy who wins Tucson, because it's incredibly hard to win anywhere. But not as hard as winning the Match Play."
So, what's your solution?
"When you go to the Masters, they don't tell you the prize money until the weekend you're there, right? Why can't they do the same with our regular events?"
You mean, adjust purses according to strength of field?
"Well, all tournaments aren't equal, but when the schedule comes out in January, it's printed right there what the prize money is. Meanwhile, players have until Friday before a tournament to commit. The tour puts up 62 percent of the total purse. Maybe they should put up more for a tournament with 40 of the top 50 golfers instead of 10 of 50."
You think that would work?
"If I'm Phil Mickelson sitting at home for a couple weeks, and I see I've fallen to seventh on the money list, maybe I check on Greensboro, a place I don't usually play, and see what's going on. If a few other top guys are there, and Phil decides to go, too, the purse goes up. Then maybe Tiger decides, I'll go, too."
How do you make that happen?
"You tell me. They always say to us, 'It's your tour, guys.' But how much input do we really have? If I'm commissioner for a day, I meet with my top guys. Tim Finchem and his people are always going to the stars saying, 'We really need you to play Houston,' or 'We could really use you in Honda.' Players should dictate purses. The World Ranking takes into account strength of field. Why not with prize money?"
About yourself. Still hoping to be a Ryder Cup captain?
"My window is about closed. Is that what they say, 'window'? Tom Lehman is next year, and Paul Azinger, who could have had it next year, will probably be captain in 2008. So I'll be 50 when the next one happens. They won't be naming guys who are 50, although Jay Haas would have been great."
You're Ryder Cup captain for a day, what would you do?
"I would make sure the players had some fun. A lot of what goes on now at the Ryder Cup isn't. Guys get beaten down because there's so much stuff that has nothing to do with golf. I'd listen to guys and get some feedback. The days are long. Do they really need to go to all those parades and dinners?"
How's your game after the California swing?
"I played OK in spots, and I want to keep playing, but how about the weather? Even when it's dry, it's wet."
