Mercedes Championships
The Mercedes Championships (the pluralisation is official) is the opening event of golf's PGA Tour season. The field is restricted to golfers who won an event on the Tour in the previous season. It is played the first weekend in January, and has been at Kapalua Resort's Plantation Course in Lahaina, Hawaii, since 1999. The event was played in Las Vegas, Nevada from the event's inception in 1953 until 1968, first at The Desert Inn Golf & Country Club until 1966, and then at Stardust Country Club. After that, it began a 30-year relationship with La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California, which lasted until the event was moved to its current location in Hawaii. The first prize is one of the larger ones on the Tour, and due to the small field it is 20% of the overall prize fund rather than the standard 18%. In 2006 the first prize was $1,080,000 out of a fund of $5,400,000.
[edit] Winners
Mercedes Championships
- 2006 Stuart Appleby
- 2005 Stuart Appleby
- 2004 Stuart Appleby
- 2003 Ernie Els
- 2002 Sergio Garcia
- 2001 Jim Furyk
- 2000 Tiger Woods
- 1999 David Duval
- 1998 Phil Mickelson
- 1997 Tiger Woods
- 1996 Mark O'Meara
- 1995 Steve Elkington
- 1994 Phil Mickelson
Infiniti Tournament of Champions
- 1993 Davis Love III
- 1992 Steve Elkington
- 1991 Tom Kite
MONY Tournament of Champions
- 1990 Paul Azinger
- 1989 Steve Jones
- 1988 Steve Pate
- 1987 Mac O'Grady
- 1986 Calvin Peete
- 1985 Tom Kite
- 1984 Tom Watson
- 1983 Lanny Wadkins
- 1982 Lanny Wadkins
- 1981 Lee Trevino
- 1980 Tom Watson
- 1979 Tom Watson
- 1978 Gary Player
- 1977 Jack Nicklaus
- 1976 Don January
- 1975 Al Geiberger
Tournament of Champions
- 1974 Johnny Miller
- 1973 Jack Nicklaus
- 1972 Bobby Mitchell
- 1971 Jack Nicklaus
- 1970 Frank Beard
- 1969 Gary Player
- 1968 Don January
- 1967 Frank Beard
- 1966 Arnold Palmer
- 1965 Arnold Palmer
- 1964 Jack Nicklaus
- 1963 Jack Nicklaus
- 1962 Arnold Palmer
- 1961 Sam Snead
- 1960 Jerry Barber
- 1959 Mike Souchak
- 1958 Stan Leonard
- 1957 Gene Littler
- 1956 Gene Littler
- 1955 Gene Littler
- 1954 Art Wall, Jr.
- 1953 Al Besselink
