The Loop

Tour players step up on behalf of two of their own

February 14, 2010

PGA Tour players voted almost unanimously to donate half of their Wednesday pro-am earnings this year to the foundations of Ken Green and Chris Smith, each of whom lost close family members in tragic vehicle accidents last June. Their benevolence is expected to net each foundation $200,000. Larry Dorman has the story in the New York Times.

"To me, that says a lot about the membership. Chris and Ken had a rough time," Paul Goydos, who serves on the tour's Player Advisory Council, told Dorman. "Let's be honest; we're giving away on the order of $110 million to charity every year, we're playing a game for an average of $5 million a week for a living. We probably can't give back enough. We can't do enough charity."

Smith's wife Beth was killed in an automobile accident and his children, Abigail, 16, and Cameron, 12, were injured. Green's girlfriend, Jeannie Hodgin, and his brother William were killed in a recreational vehicle accident.

Smith, incidentally, will return to golf this week at the Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera May-Cancun, playing on a sponsor exemption.

-- John Strege