The Future of the Hawaii Swing is Uncertain

Paul Arnett has been covering this story well for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.  Robert Collias adds in an interview with NBC and Golf Channel analyst - and Hawaii citizen - Mark Rolfing about the PGA Tour's wavering commitment to Kapalua beyond 2010.

''It doesn't mean we will do anything particularly different, but we are looking at some other options,'' Finchem said Wednesday [in a presser about the future of the event.]

Rolfing sees the Tour's decision and efforts in Kapalua as pivotal to the state and its golf tourism industry.

'This is the mother ship, this one is the mother ship,'' he said. ''There is a contract between the (Hawaii Tourism Authority) and the PGA Tour, but in the end, I think that what happens with this event will dictate what happens with the future of all of professional golf here.''

''The Sony would have a really tough time without the Mercedes as a lead-in and you are going to see that this year,'' Rolfing said. ''Already there are a number of players in this field that are not going to play in Sony next week, for a variety of reasons. All you have to do is look at the old Hawaiian Open - when it moved to February as a standalone event, it didn't work. It is kind of a double package here, I think.''

I completely agree with Mark.  You have to have a Hawaiian swing that comprises more than one event.  The LPGA Tour is trying to use Hawaii as a jumping off point to Asia, which also can work.

Rolfing also touches on Kapalua in particular and how it now hosts two professional events with uncertain futures.

''Right now, Kapalua's got two tournaments,'' Rolfing said. ''One has no sponsor (the LPGA event) and one has a sponsor that hasn't re-signed yet (Mercedes). So, that to me is a big question mark. I certainly don't think Kapalua could have two tournaments with neither one being sponsored.''

What role does Kapalua play in all of air of uncertainty?

And last, Collias hits on a point we have touched on for months.

When a sponsor must put up at least $6 million - the purse this week is $5.6 million - it raises another question about not whether this event should remain, but if, in reality, it can.