"[Finchem's] election further validates claims that it is merely a popularity contest and charges of cronyism."

The best I saw celebrating Tim Finchem’s induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame said he grew purses. Golfweek’s Adam Schupak counters that unprofound take and highlights why the Hall has lost so much credibility in recent years. Remember, this is Deane Beman’s biographer writing:

His election further validates claims that it is merely a popularity contest and charges of cronyism. (PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, who was Finchem’s hand-picked successor, and other leaders in the game whose chances of being honored in the future probably also improved with Finchem’s election are among the voters. It all adds up to too much potential conflict of interest.)

Interestingly, Finchem was a semi-finalist in 2019 and didn’t even make it to the list of finalists. It makes you wonder what changed in the last two years during his retirement. But his election is just another reason why the number of members returning for the ceremony is often low and why Hall of Famers continue to give their best mementos elsewhere. The last thing it needed was to enshrine another administrator, even if Finchem says he has a great letter from Arnold Palmer that he will donate to his exhibit along with some photographs of the greats that he bumped elbows with – from Gene Sarazen to Tiger.