PGA Tour will survive Woods scandal Finchemskip to main content (press enter)Current WeatherCharlottetownChange weather location8C CloudyCBC Global Header NavigationCBCca News news drop down menu Sports sports drop down menu Radio radio drop down menu TV tv drop down menu My Region drop down menu More drop down menu Watch drop down menu Listen drop down menu Search CBCca Submit Search Sign Up Log In Hockey Headlines Scoreboard Standings Stats NHL Schedule Teams Players Hockey Night in Canada Highlights Fantasy Pool Commonwealth Football Headlines CFL Scoreboard CFL Standings CFL Stats CFL Teams NFL Scoreboard NFL Standings NFL Stats NFL Teams NFL Players Video Alpine Skiing Curling Figure Skating Basketball NBA Scoreboard Standings Stats Teams Players Basketball News Feed Baseball MLB Scoreboard Standings Stats Teams Players Baseball News Feed Soccer MLS Scoreboard MLS Standings International Stats Soccer News Feed Amateur Sports Golf Tennis Story Tools EMAIL PRINT Text Size S M L XL REPORT TYPO SEND YOUR FEEDBACK PGA Tour will survive Woods scandal Finchem Last Updated Thursday December 17 2009 1142 PM ET Comments46Recommend12The Associated Press PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said PGA Tour viewership didnt decline when Tiger Woods had knee surgery last season (Harry HowGetty Images) Even as he held firm that golf would survive no matter how long Tiger Woods stayed away PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said the sex scandal of his No 1 player was the biggest curveball hes ever facedFinchem tried Thursday to dispel a gloom and doom outlook for golf after the games biggest star announced an indefinite leave to sort out his personal life He predicted a successful season in 2010 while conceding no sport is as good without its best playerIf Tiger is out for a couple of months or eight months or a year were going to have a successful year Finchem said It wont be at the same level without our No 1 player theres no question about that No sport would be at the same level without its No 1 playerFinchem has been commissioner since 1994 and is used to Woods being the talk of golfNot like this though And not at a time when golf isnt even being playedI cant think of anything else that was more of a curveball Finchem said during a break from TV interviews Just the magnitude of it I cant recall an individual in politics entertainment sports with this level of focus that its generating in the media Everybody is talking about it My 17yearold daughter comes home from school theyre talking about it in the classroomIve often said that up until US President Barack Obama he was the most recognized guy on the planet and everybody thought he was perfect The realization that hes not is huge newsHow golf gets by without Woods and how it reacts when he does return is yet to be seenWoods announced last Friday that he was stepping away ...