Finchem On First Tee Expansion: "We have set out on a course to raise $100 million this year"

Answering a question at Kapalua about future plans, Commissioner Tim Finchem has planned now that the television contract is finished, he revealed what many had feared: a ramping of The First Tee investment and hype. From the transcript:

The opportunity to grow The First Tee Program, which has reached 4.7 million kids in the United States since 1997, teaching core values through the game of golf. We have set out on a course to raise $100 million this year so that we can reach 10 million new kids in the next six years, and that will culminate at Pebble Beach on October 8.

If that is successful, we think that it not just reaches a lot of kids and not just reaches millions of kids with the game of golf and helps them by teaching them core values; but also The First Tee Program is very diverse, women and minorities make up significant percentages, and it helps us go down that road of making sure that golf is something that's successful to everybody.

Imagine the impact the tour would have if they took $50 million of this hoped-for funding and put it into a green fee subsidy program like Youth On Course, and then put the other $50 million into saving/restoring 15 classic muni's in disrepair?  I know, I know, the kids wouldn't learn get exposed to the core values...