Quite a weekend for the good people of New Orleans. From Jazzfest to Reggie Bush and the Zurich Classic, the Big Easy is back. Maybe not entirely, sure, but the signs are good.

With all the excitement surrounding Bush, it’ll be easy to minimize the PGA Tour’s role in this pivotal weekend. But after Katrina, commish Tim Finchem could’ve easily followed the government’s lead and simply ignored New Orleans. Katrina left the TPC of Louisiana battered and bruised (it’s still months away from reopening), giving Finchem a clear opening to move the event. To his credit, Finchem remained committed to New Orleans, and the Tour was a major presence in the city last week, starting with an economic summit and culminating with a surprise winner at English Turn.

I don’t make a habit of praising Finchem, but he got it right this time. (In the end, though, players such as David Toms, Ben Crane and Phil Mickelson really made the greatest impact.) In fact, it was a good week for commissioners all around. LPGA boss Carolyn Bivens could have blocked Dakoda Dowd’s dramatic story in Florida, hiding behind some obscure bylaw. Instead, she helped make it happen, giving Dowd’s family a reason to smile through the pain. Something the city of New Orleans can certainly relate to this morning.

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