The first seven weeks of 2006 are filled with professional golf events in Hawai'i, starting with the Mercedes Championships, Jan. 5 to 8 at Kapalua's Plantation Course.

Australian Stuart Appleby is the two-time defending champion. The tournament offers a $5.4 million purse to a limited field of 2005 champions. It opens the PGA Tour season.

Mercedes tickets are on sale by phone (1-877-750-4400) or online (pga tour.com or ticketmaster.com). They also can be purchased at Kapalua's golf shops, Honolua Store and The Logo Shop.

Admission is $15 for the first or second rounds and $20 for the third or fourth. A season pass, good for Jan. 2 to 8, is $55 until Dec. 19 and $80 after. Daily tickets also go up in price after Dec. 19.

The tour's first full-field event of the year is the Sony Open in Hawai'i, Jan. 12 to 15 at Waialae Country Club. Vijay Singh is expected to defend his title.

The Champions Tour opens on the Big Island Jan. 20 to 22, with the MasterCard Championship at Hualalai. Its first full-field event is the Turtle Bay Championship, Jan. 27 to 29.

The Champions Skins Game will be Feb. 6 at Wailea's Gold Course, with the Pro-Am the previous day — Super Bowl Sunday.

The Hawai'i Pearl Open will be at Pearl Country Club on Pro Bowl weekend (Feb. 10 to 12). Last year, 19-year-old Japan LPGA star Sakura Yokomine tied for 17th, six shots behind winner Will Yanagisawa, a California pro. Michelle Wie withdrew with an injured wrist.

The LPGA plays at Turtle Bay's Arnold Palmer Course Feb. 16 to 18 in the SBS Open.