US PGA CEO says Ryder Cup solution in the works

The PGA of America should have a plan in place by year's end to distribute Ryder Cup revenues to charities of the players' choice, chief executive officer Jim Awtrey said Saturday.

The issue cast a shadow over the PGA Championship this week, causing a rift between U.S. Ryder Cup captain Ben Crenshaw and team members like Tiger Woods and David Duval, who believe players should be able to designate a charity to receive some of the money.

After a Tuesday meeting to clear the air, Crenshaw lashed out the next day, saying he was disappointed at the comments of some players who favored compensation. Those players were later identified as Duval, Woods, Mark O'Meara and Phil Mickelson.

"The captain is competitive and the team is competitive," Awtrey said in a television interview today with CBS Sports. "Pay-for-play is not an issue."

But, he said that distributing the money to charities is.

Awtrey said the PGA will "form a plan by the end of the year to distribute money to the players' charities."

Awtrey did not say what that plan might entail or whether it would be retroactive to this year's matches, in which the PGA of America is expected to turn a net profit of about $17 million from gross revenues estimated at $63 million.

The PGA Tour set a precedent in the Presidents Cup when $100,000 was given to a charity of the players' choice.

"I firmly believe we'll probably get something for charity, and I think that's great," Fred Couples said earlier in the week. "We'll all deserve it, and it will be a moot subject."

Crenshaw later apologized for his outburst, but not for the way he feels about the Ryder Cup.

"I'm from a different generation where the Ryder Cup means a lot to us," Crenshaw said. "I'm upset people aren't jumping over the moon about it."

AP