Finchem leaning on Woods to help 2011 ratings

*By now, we've been inundated with talk about Tiger Woods' trying last year. What hasn't been discussed as much, though, is how his 2011 will play out, and perhaps more importantly for the PGA Tour, what his schedule will look like.

Golf World Executive Editor Ron Sirak addressed that topic in the latest edition of Golf World Monday:

No one wants -- or needs -- Woods to have a comeback year more than PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem. Golf's television ratings were off in 2010 -- even as ratings for nearly every other sport rose. The tour's current TV deal expires after 2012, and talks on a new pact will begin this year. Sources say Finchem is under pressure to improve ratings before the Masters and is reaching out to Woods to play more than he normally does in the first quarter of the year. In recent years, Woods' pre-Masters U.S. schedule has been Torrey Pines, WGC-Accenture Match Play, Doral and Bay Hill. Will he help the tour by adding an event: say Northern Trust, AT&T Pebble Beach, Waste Management Phoenix or the Honda Classic? Stay tuned.*

-- Golf Digest Digital Staff *