BARRINGTON — Tom Ryan calls it "a slight tweak."

For most golf tournaments, his description is accurate. In many ways, the 11th annual CVS Caremark Charity Classic, which begins with a pro-am Sunday at Rhode Island Country Club, will be very much like the first 10.

Still, there will be minor differences. And for this event, even little tweaks are significant. They are big news.

Changes mean more in this event than in most others because the CVS Classic has been so stable. The two-day, 36-hole team event, contested for $1.55 million, found a formula that worked from the start and it has kept with it.

So why change a good thing? Two reasons.

One is the economy. More so than in any previous year, there have been changes in sponsorship, notably some companies reducing their participation. They are relatively small in the big picture, but unusual for the CVS.

"Companies are looking at where they can got costs," said Ryan, the president and CEO of CVS. "We're fortunate that so many are staying with us. (But) companies are looking at where they put their charitable dollars.

"I will say this, they love this event," Ryan went on. "They know where the money is going. They get great access to our folks from a customer standpoint and they give back to charity . . . None of them said we're not doing it, but some of them said they have to cut back a little because of the economy. It's happening on the tour. We want to be cognizant of what our suppliers are going through.

"I don't know if we'll be able to give as much to charity, but we'll see how it all works out," Ryan said. "We want to keep giving."

The tournament, Rhode Island's largest charity event, donated $1.8 million to area charities last year and has raised more than $12 million in its first 10 years.

Beyond the changes in sponsorship, the second area organizers are "tweaking" is the tournament format. That is not necessarily new.

Every year, the event tries to bring in special attractions. At the start, it was having the game's greats take part. Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, among many others, have walked the RICC fairways.

More recently, the emphasis has been on bringing in the hot names on tour. That continues this year with players like two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen, Zach Johnson, Anthony Kim and Nick Watney among the invitees.

The big change the last three years has been having women compete.

"You want to keep freshening it up," Ryan said. "When we had the two women, Natalie (Gulbis) and Juli (Inkster), the first time it was overwhelming. They were terrific. They're great ambassadors of golf. The reaction from the fans was great, so we said, ‘Why not do some more.'”

Last year, Nicole Castrale and Laura Diaz represented the women. They not only were a bit hit, they also played excellently, coming within one stroke of a playoff in the rain-shortened event.

This year, four women will play. But the biggest change is that they will not team with each other. They will make for four co-ed teams, Faxon with Inkster, co-host Billy Andrade with Helen Alfredsson, Davis Love III with Morgan Pressel, and Peter Jacobsen with Gulbis.

No one knows if it will work, but everyone is willing to try.

"It's an experiment," Faxon said. "No one knows how it will go. Will the players like it? Will the fans like it? Could we do even more? We're kind of dipping our toe in to see what it will be like."

The chances of the co-ed teams being well accepted seem strong. For one thing, the players selected to take part were those with the personality to enjoy the one-of-a-kind nature of the format.

What's more, the style of play seems to be cleared up. The first year, Inkster and Gulbis received very little help. They played the same course the men did on a number of holes. Last year, it was decided to move the women's tee up on virtually every hole. The goal was to have both men and women hitting the same club for their approach shots.

With a bomber like Bubba Watson, one of the world's longest drivers, back to defend the title he won with Camilo Villegas last year, that's not always possible. But just about all involved felt the system last year was fair to everyone. It will be continued this week.

"We want to balance the competitive aspects," Ryan said. "But we also want it to be fun for everyone."

pkenyon @projo.com