There are more than 8 million reasons — the number of dollars he has won here — Hale Irwin winces when he imagines what it would be like not to start his golf season in Hawai'i. But 2008 has become a critical year for professional golf here and the Champions Tour events this week and next are in jeopardy.

The 25th MasterCard Championship at Hualalai tees off this morning on the Big Island. MasterCard, which brought the event here in 1997, is apparently in its last year as sponsor. Next week's Turtle Bay Championship is in its eighth year without a title sponsor and, particularly with the resort in foreclosure, the situation is dire.

"We've just been speaking with the MasterCard Championship at Hualalai, we're in conversations and have been with the Hualalai Four Seasons Resort to continue playing this event here," Champions Tour President Rick George said Wednesday. "Unfortunately, in Turtle Bay, we haven't been as positive. We're still looking for sponsorship. We're in the market for the event at Turtle Bay and that does come to a conclusion at the end of this event.

"Our hope is, and what we've been working on collectively as a staff, is that we continue to start our season in Hawai'i. We think it's good for the tour. We think the primetime television we can offer is real positive to start this tour. So, we have every intent of coming back to Hawai'i for our first two events."

Following through will be a challenge. The situation probably needs to be resolved in the next two months, according to Kapalua's Mark Rolfing. The TV golf analyst, and one of the leaders locally that helped mold the early-season "Aloha Swing," wants to keep it intact.

Rolfing said all those involved in here and with the PGA Tour are getting together the next two weeks to try and salvage Hawai'i's early season, which he believes could "unravel" if events go away, as the Grand Slam already has.

"We know MasterCard is out as a sponsor here," Rolfing said. "I think the PGA Tour is desperately trying to find a sponsor. We know there is no sponsor for Turtle Bay. Quite a bit is uncertain. We're attempting to band everybody together out there and figure out what the priorities are with the PGA Tour.

"Individually, if each tournament tried to deal with the situation we wouldn't have as much collective clout as if everybody gets together. We've got Mercedes, Sony, MasterCard and Turtle Bay issues. Everybody is thinking let's get through these four, regroup and decide where to go. I believe the commitment is here from the PGA."

The players are adamant about keeping their Hawai'i stops. Particularly Irwin, who has been coming here since 1968, owns property and has represented Kapalua and Hokuli'a. He has also won eight official events here, including the first and last MasterCards at Hualalai. If the worst-case scenario plays out and he can't play here in the future, he would still come to Hawai'i because he and his wife love it, but ...

"It would be a tragedy ...," Irwin said. "Hopefully something will be generated to come back. There is no one who has been here who doesn't want to come back. It's a neat spot, a great way to start the year."

Rolfing believes the seniors' sheer enjoyment here could have an impact on saving their events. But ultimately, it comes down to sponsorship and money.

"We'd love for the (Turtle Bay) event to stay here, but it's unusual to go on this long without a corporate sponsor," said Ray Stoisik, Executive Director for the Sony Open, Turtle Bay and SBS Open. "We've been looking at this for more than a year now. We've had a few deals that have looked good and fell through. ... Some corporate sponsors are coming from Japan and looking at the Turtle Bay event next week. We hope some are interested. We believe the PGA Tour might bring out a potential client or two. We hope to find something at the 11th hour to save the events."

Stoisik says it takes $2.5 to $3 million to fund a Champions event. He hopes the "community steps up" and promises an open mind to any prospective sponsor or sponsors. Tour President George confirmed he will be talking with prospective sponsors the next 10 days.

Maybe Irwin, whose sincere warmth for the Islands is always obvious, could kick in a few of those 8 million bucks.

"We have enjoyed every moment of our time here ...," he said. "We've been enriched in many ways to be part of Hawai'i and the Islands in some indirect way. We've experienced a lot of things some might scoff at and don't believe, but I do. And Sally (Irwin's wife) gets more psyched to come here than I do. We thoroughly enjoy being in Hawai'i and temporarily feel part of the community when we're here because we've been here so long."

NOTES

A field of 32 will play in Sunday's Turtle Bay Championship pre-qualifier at the Palmer Course. The top five advance to Monday's open qualifier. The top nine Monday earn spots in the full-field event. Top local seniors in the pre-qualifier include Hawai'i Hall of Famer Larry Stubblefield, Lance Taketa and Leland Lindsay. Ron Kia'aina Jr. earned a spot directly into the open qualifier as 2007 Aloha Section PGA Senior Player of the Year. Last year, Joe Ozaki shot 9-under-par 63 to earn medalist honors at the qualifier.

TODAY'S TEE TIMES

FIRST TEE

9:49 a.m.—Mike Reid. 9:58—David Edwards, John Harris.

10:07—R.W. Eaks, Mark McNulty. 10:16—Jerry Pate, Bruce Lietzke. 10:25—D.A. Weibring, Bob Gilder. 10:34—Morris Hatalsky, John Jacobs. 10:43—Lanny Wadkins, Bobby Wadkins. 10:52—Keith Fergus, Lonnie Nielsen.

11:01—Ben Crenshaw, John Cook. 11:10—Bernhard Langer, Eduardo Romero. 11:19—Dana Quigley, Curtis Strange. 11:28—Gil Morgan, Craig Stadler. 11:37—Loren Roberts, Jay Haas. 11:46—Tom Purtzer, Brad Bryant. 11:55—Tom Kite, Tom Watson.

12:04 p.m.—Scott Hoch, Denis Watson. 12:13—Lee Trevino, Peter Jacobsen. 12:22—Hale Irwin, Fred Funk. 12:31—Allen Doyle, Jim Thorpe. 12:40—Tom Jenkins, Scott Simpson. 12:49—Pete Oakley, Mark Wiebe.

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com.