default-cbs-image

Outgoing PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem gave what he called his final formal press conference on Tuesday at the Tour Championship. He obviously got a Tiger Woods question as Woods has played such a big part in Finchem's reign of 20-plus years.

"He's the only living player to win 79 times," said Finchem. "He's the only active player to win 14 majors, and only one player has won more. I love Jack Nicklaus beyond belief, but I have to put Tiger down as probably the greatest player ever to play."

This is probably true. Certainly the most dominant. Nicklaus played for longer at a higher level (presuming Woods doesn't make an improbable comeback over the next few years), but Woods at his best was almost embarrassingly good.

"His domination at a time when you're bringing more and more good players along is incredible," added Finchem. "It lifted all boats. I always refer to it kind of like Michael Jordan in the NBA. He just lifted boats and brought in so many new fans to the game."

This is true. When Finchem started in 1994, purses were minuscule. Consider the 1994 PGA Championship for example. The entire purse was $1.75 million. The winner of the 2016 PGA Championship (Jimmy Walker) took home $1.8 million. That's unbelievable! It's also directly attributable to Woods, even when you factor in inflation.

"The dominance does have a negative," said Finchem. "The one negative about it ... he takes all the air out of the media. The entire focus is the dominant player. It's very difficult to create new stars in that environment."

Good luck to the next commissioner on that front. It's going to be incredibly difficult.