PGA chief admits to blunder over Woods' public apology

Phoenix (Arizona, US), Feb 22(ANI): US PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem has taken the blame for not alerting his players over disgraced American golfer Tiger Woods' decision to make his first public appearance during the Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona.

Finchem, who allowed Woods to use the TPC Sawgrass clubhouse at PGA Tour headquarters for the event, knew that Woods was on a break from therapy and was to return the following day.

Players had to field several questions about Woods and some players, particularly South African Ernie Els, were highly critical of the speech distracting attention from the World Golf Championship, won by England's Ian Poulter.

"In hindsight, we should have got the players briefed before they went into their matches, so they're not coming out of a match and getting hit with all these Tiger questions," Fox Sports quoted Finchem, as saying.

"It was just a screw up on my part. You can never communicate too much in this business and when you don't, you usually pay a price and that was a good example," he added.

Finchem further said that he has no idea when Woods would return to competition.

"On the competitive side we all know that he's not going to tee it up until he feels like he's going to win the golf tournament.

I don't think he knows himself the answers to those questions," he said. (ANI)