Former PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem is facing a serious health battle nearly a decade after stepping away from the organization he led for more than 20 years.
Finchem has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, his wife, Holly, revealed Monday in a letter published by Global Golf Post.
The 79-year-old served as PGA Tour commissioner from 1994 until his retirement in 2016, overseeing a period of significant growth for professional golf.
His family is now opening up about his diagnosis while also making a major commitment connected to the organization Finchem spent decades helping build.
Holly Finchem Opens Up About Husband’s Diagnosis
Holly described the impact Alzheimer’s has had on her husband and their family, offering a rare update on the former commissioner’s life since leaving the PGA Tour.
“It is a heartbreaking diagnosis, and one that has changed our lives in ways that are hard to put into words,” Holly said. “To watch him face this disease has been painful beyond measure.”
Despite those challenges, Holly said the qualities and relationships that have defined her husband remain evident.
“But even now, the essence of Tim remains present in the moments we treasure most – in his love for our family, his connection to the game and the enduring relationships that have meant so much to him throughout his life,” she said.
Tim Finchem Oversaw Dramatic Growth of the PGA Tour
Finchem became the PGA Tour’s third commissioner in 1994 and remained in the position for 22 years.
His tenure coincided with a substantial expansion of the tour’s financial footprint. Annual prize money stood at $91 million across three tours when Finchem took over. By the time he retired, that total had increased to more than $401 million across six tours.
Finchem also helped introduce several concepts that remain central to the PGA Tour today. The World Golf Championships were established during his tenure, while the FedEx Cup created a season-long points race and postseason format for the tour’s top players.
Finchem helped usher in the First Tee in 1997, which has used golf as a vehicle for youth development and teaching life skills. Charitable contributions connected to the PGA Tour also climbed significantly during his time as commissioner, reaching a then-record $166 million during his final year in charge.
Finchem’s contributions to the sport eventually earned him induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2022.
Before his golf career, Finchem practiced law in Virginia Beach and later worked in the White House during President Jimmy Carter’s administration. He served as deputy adviser to the president in the Office of Economic Affairs from 1978 to 1979.
Finchem subsequently returned to Washington, D.C., where he co-founded the National Marketing and Strategies Group in the early 1980s.
Finchem Recently Received PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award
The PGA Tour presented Finchem with its Lifetime Achievement Award during a ceremony at the TPC Sawgrass clubhouse surrounding the 2025 Players Championship.
He became just the 14th recipient of an award that Finchem himself helped establish in 1996 to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to the tour.
The PGA Tour’s fourth commissioner Jay Monahan presented the award to his predecessor and reflected on how much the organization changed during Finchem’s years in charge.
“Tim Finchem built on what Joe Dey and Deane Beman – his two predecessors – created and then took the Tour to incredible heights during his 22 years leading our organization,” Monahan said. “It’s impossible to fully articulate the impact he had on the PGA Tour.”
The honor carried an unusual significance for Finchem because of his role in creating it nearly three decades earlier.
“Having been involved with the creation of the Lifetime Achievement Award, I fully understand the significance of what we wanted the Lifetime Achievement Award to represent to those receiving it,” Finchem said at the time.
“Now, as the Award comes to me, I can only say how extremely humbling this is and what great meaning it carries to my family and me.”
Former commissioner Deane Beman, whom Finchem succeeded in 1994, said the recognition was well deserved.
“Tim was always someone I could turn to, and I relied on his expertise in so many ways,” Beman said.
“He was a terrific Commissioner during his 20-plus years guiding the organization, and for the Tour to present him with the Lifetime Achievement Award is a well-earned honor.”
Finchem Family Makes Sizable Donation to PGA Tour Charities
The disclosure of Finchem’s diagnosis coincides with a significant contribution from his family to the charitable side of the PGA Tour.
Tim and Holly are donating $13 million to PGA Tour Charities as the organization prepares to overhaul its philanthropic strategy.
The timing is particularly noteworthy given how much of the conversation surrounding professional golf has centered on money in recent years. Increased tournament purses, player compensation and the PGA Tour’s commercial business have all become prominent parts of the sport’s changing landscape.
PGA Tour Charities is now planning to organize its philanthropic efforts around national campaigns designed to create greater impact at the local level. More information about those plans is expected in the coming months.
“This next chapter is about generating even more focus, coordination, resources and visibility,” Laura Neal, executive vice president of PGA Tour’s Strategic Philanthropy, said.
“Launching an evolved PGA Tour Charities – with a legacy-defining, transformative gift from the Finchems – is an exciting next step in golf’s enduring commitment to giving back.”
The announcement arrived ahead of the season-ending Tour Championship, which carries a $40 million purse and will award $10 million to its winner.
Former PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem Faces Heartbreaking Diagnosis