Let's take a closer look at where you can see the world's top professional golfers compete in the opening events of the 2008 Hawaii professional golf season.
PGA Tour
Dec. 31 - Jan. 6, 2008Mercedes-Benz Championship
Purse: $5,500,000
Plantation Course at Kapalua
Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii
Vijay Singh (D)
TV - Golf Channel
The 2008 PGA tour season kicks off with the Mercedes-Benz Championship at the beautiful Plantation Course at Kapalua in West Maui. Most of the winners of PGA Tour events will travel to Hawaii to complete in this limited field tournament for a share of the $5.5 million purse and the keys to an all-new 2008 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class sport utility vehicle. PGA Tour veteran and defending champion Vijay Singh will compete with some of the best professional golfers in the world.
Jan. 7-13, 2008
Sony Open in Hawaii
Purse: $5,300,000
Waialae Country Club
Honolulu, Hawaii
Paul Goydos (D)
TV - Golf Channel
The PGA Tour moves from Maui to Oahu and the beautiful Waialae Country Club for the 2008 Sony Open in Hawaii. With a purse of $5.3 million and a winner's share of $954 thousand, you can be sure that many of the top players will stick around in Hawaii and be joined by other tour members in this first full field event of 2008. In 2007 Paul Goydos shot a 3-under 67 in the final round of the Sony Open in Hawaii to win by one stroke over Charles Howell III and Luke Donald. Goydos will return to defend his championship. Four top ten players have committed to play in the event: Jim Furyk (3), Steve Stricker (5), K.J. Choi (9) and Vijay Singh (10). Hawaii golf pro Tadd Fujikawa has received a sponsor's exemption to play in the 2008 Sony Open. Liang Wen-Chong, the top-ranked player from China, and the ever-popular John Daly have also received exemptions.
Champions Tour
Jan. 15-20, 2008MasterCard Championship at Hualalai
Purse: $1,800,000
Hualalai Golf Course
Ka'upulehu-Kona, Hawaii
Hale Irwin (D)
TV - Golf Channel
The Champions Tour moves to the Big Island of Hawaii for the MasterCard Championship at Hualalai in Ka'upulehu-Kona where the tour's 2007 winners will compete in the Champions Tour's first event of the 2008 season. The field will be finalized with up to four additional invitees whose careers include a minimum of 30 combined (PGA TOUR/Champions Tour) career victories or 15 combined victories including a minimum of one major championship. Hale Irwin will return to defend his championship and a share of the $1.8 million purse.
Feb. 23-24, 2008
Wendy's Champions Skins Game
Purse: $770,000
Kaanapali Golf Resort (Royal Ka'anapali Course)
Maui, Hawaii
Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson (D)
TV - ESPN
Always a popular event for spectators and folks back home on TV, the Wendy's Champions Skins Game features eight legendary Champions Tour players competing in two-man teams. The 21st edition moves to the Royal Ka'anapali Golf Course. For the third consecutive year, the players will compete in the alternate-shot, team format that lends itself to drama and spectacular shots. The players will play nine holes each day. The field features Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player, along with Jay Haas, Loren Roberts, Fuzzy Zoeller and Peter Jacobsen.
Jan. 21-27, 2007
Turtle Bay Championship
Purse: $1,600,000
Turtle Bay Resort, Palmer Course
Kahuku, Oahu, Hawaii
Fred Funk (D)
TV - Golf Channel
It's over to Oahu and the Palmer Course at Turtle Bay on Oahu's North Shore for the first full-field event of the 2008 Champions Tour season. In 2007 Fred Funk took home the $240 thousand winner's share with an record 11-stroke victory over five other golfers. Fred Funk's 54-hole total of 23-under-par 193 set a new Turtle Bay Championship scoring mark. His 11-stroke margin was the largest winning margin in a 54-hole Champions Tour tournament. Funk played all 54 holes without a bogey and also went wire-to-wire to win.
Next Page > LPGA Tour Events in Hawaii
