MARCH 02, 18:19 EST
By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer

RANKINGS RESPONSE: PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem does not buy into the eight problems and solutions with the world rankings that were outlined by Dean Knuth, who created the USGA's slope and course rating.

Among other things, Knuth said the current system did not respond quickly enough to current level of play, points were not evenly distributed, Japanese and Australasian tours were getting too many points and the European tour wasn't getting enough.

Knuth noted that the rankings were particularly out of sync at the bottom � critical in determining which players get in the $5 million Match Play Championship.

"It was interesting," Finchem said. "But the upshot of all the suggestions was a net effect of four players, and three came from one suggestion � the Australasian and Japanese tours getting half points."

Finchem also dismissed the proposal that Europe get equal points in strength of field because of its performance in the Ryder Cup.

"That means nothing to me," he said.

Still, Finchem doesn't mind a healthy debate on the rankings, and he's been getting an earful since they began to matter.

"We've been studying the ranking system for three years," he said. "We have eight or nine changes that are under intense scrutiny at any time."