Representatives of Sony, the PGA Tour, and Friends of Hawai'i Charities are expected to announce a four-year extension of the Sony Open in Hawai'i today at a press conference in Gov. Linda Lingle's office.

Sony is also expected to offer a third sponsor's exemption to 16-year-old Michelle Wie. Wie turned pro three weeks ago, signing a five-year deal with Sony for what could be as much as $1 million annually. She signed a similar deal with Nike.

Wie has played the past two Sony Opens. She missed the cut by one shot in 2004 and seven this year. The only golf tournament on her schedule between now and next year's Sony is the Casio World Open, Nov. 24 to 27 on the Japan men's golf tour.

The 2006 Sony Open, Jan. 12 to 15 at Waialae Country Club, is the last in a four-year agreement announced at the 2002 Sony Open. A four-year rollover would keep the tournament at Waialae through 2010.

Sony has been the title sponsor of the former Hawaiian Open since 1999. It offered a $2.6 million purse that first year. It will be $5.5 million in 2006.

Money given to charity, distributed by tournament organizing body Friends of Hawai'i Charities, has also risen dramatically. The 1999 Sony Open raised $256,000. More than $1 million was distributed this year, to more than 100 nonprofit organizations.

The majority of the $1 million was raised through the Sony Open, in a charity partnership with The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation Inc. Other FHC events raising money were the Champions Tour's Turtle Bay Championship and the LPGA's SBS Open at Turtle Bay.