The Sony Open in Hawai'i is over, but Jay Haas and Loren Roberts have just begun their three-week "Hawai'i Tour."

They're sticking around for the first two Champions Tour events of the season before leaving the islands.

You can't beat three weeks here, says Haas, who got into the Sony Open in Hawai'i, the PGA Tour's first full-field event of the year, as a member of the last U.S. Ryder Cup team.

Roberts wanted more — a month's stay.

"I was pretty excited last year when I was able to keep my card on the regular tour because I always look forward to playing Sony here. I love this tournament," Roberts said.

"And then to be able to stick around for two more weeks," he added. "The only thing that would have been better would be to play Kapalua. A whole month in Hawai'i would have been great. But three weeks is pretty doggone good."

Neither Roberts nor Haas won on the regular tour last year to qualify for the Mercedes Championships at Kapalua, but Champions Tour victories got them into this week's MasterCard Championship at Hualalai on the Big Island.

They'll then return next week to Oahu's North Shore for the Turtle Bay Championship, the first full-field event for the over-50 guys.

Both found it nice to be able to pick up some money on the side while using the Sony Open as a tune-up for their next two tournaments.

Roberts yesterday finished in a tie for 18th with a 68—276 to earn $64,260, while Haas ended tied for 59th with a 71—282, good for $10,914.

Roberts had penned Waialae in early on his 2006 calendar, but not Haas.

"I was mulling it over just because of the two Champions Tour events. I thought it would be a good time to come on over and get some extra practice in and things like that," Haas said.

But what finally swayed him was his son, Bill, a Q-School rookie, getting an exemption to the Sony Open. So he thought it was neat having a father-son combination.

"I've never done great here, but I always love coming to Hawai'i. Even though it has been a little windy, it's pretty hard not to enjoy coming here," Haas said. "Everybody tells me Hualalai is one of the greatest places in the world, so I'm looking forward to that and to the golf, too."

Haas and Roberts will play primarily on the Champions Tour this year.

"I'll play eight events, maybe, on the PGA Tour and just see how things are going. If I play extremely well, I may play a few more events," Haas said.

The operative phrase for Haas is "extremely well."

He was good enough to keep playing on the regular tour even though he turned 50 two years ago.

In 2004, Haas finished 27th on the PGA money list with seven top-10 finishes, but what was more rewarding, he said, was playing well enough to be a captain's pick to the U.S. Ryder Cup team that year.

"There's nothing like it. As an individual sport player, to get on a team like that, 12 of the best players in the world, to compete against 12 other players, it doesn't get much better. The intensity is something that you hardly ever experience out here," Haas said. "To have that under my belt and play on three Ryder Cup teams is probably the highlight of my career."

Roberts, who had a 3-1 record as a Ryder Cup player in 1995, will play six to eight events on the regular tour and about 16 on the Champions Tour, the reverse of what he did last year.

Roberts may play at Los Angeles and Tucson if he does well or wins at Hualalai or Turtle Bay. Otherwise, his first start on the regular tour will be at the Players Championship, he said.

If you're crunching numbers, there's no question that it'll be more financially advantageous for the two to spend more time on the Champions Tour.

Haas played in 10 senior events last year and earned $998,653 compared to $485,109 in 16 events on the regular tour.

Roberts collected $959,882 in only six Champions Tour appearances since turning 50 last June, more than the $874,330 he got playing in 18 PGA Tour events.

The numbers are compelling enough for them to play more events on the senior circuit than the regular tour once they end their three-week paid vacation in the islands.