"It's a lot easier to privately fund-raise for the First Tee than it is to privately fund raise for the city and county"

In Ron Kroichick's report on the likely Yes majority for the PGA Tour-Harding Park contract, I couldn't help but find this disappointing:

Elsbernd had delayed the vote two weeks, so he could try to allay his colleagues' concerns. The proposal -- a revision to the city's original contract with the PGA Tour, announced in 2004 -- called for the tour to give the city $500,000 per event and the First Tee program another $500,000 per event.

Under the new terms, the tour would pay the city $1 million for each event. Any remaining money, after the costs of staging the tournament, would go to First Tee, a program designed to introduce young people to golf and "promote character development" through the game.

Isn't that nice? Take away the Tour's impressive donation for the First Tee to make up for bureacratic bumbling.

Elsbernd and First Tee officials feared the board of supervisors would reject the agreement without this compromise.

"It's a lot easier to privately fund-raise for the First Tee than it is to privately fund raise for the city and county," Elsbernd said. "I'm confident if there are any lost dollars to the First Tee, we'll be able to close the gap" with private donations.