2 more qualify
for Mercedes

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Ernie Els and Vijay Singh join defending champion Sergio Garcia, two-time Masters champion Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson as early qualifiers for the 2003 Mercedes Championships at the Plantation Course in Kapalua on Jan. 6-12.

"It feels good to win again, and get it out of the way early,"said Els, the two-time U.S. Open champion who qualified for the prestigious winners-only by capturing the Genuity Championship in February. "I'm definitely looking forward to getting back to the Mercedes Championships. That's a good tournament and I've done well there."

Singh won his 10th PGA event at the Shell Houston Open in March with a tournament record 22-under 266 and a six-stroke victory.

"It's been almost two years, I was wondering when the next one would come," said Singh, 39, a former Masters and PGA champion.

"Kapalua obviously is a place you want to go," Singh said. "It means you have won a tournament and out here that's always tough because of the level of play. I always enjoy starting the year in Maui."

A stellar collection of 18 international stars and first-time winners already populates the Mercedes Championships field for 2003.

Besides Garcia, Woods and Mickelson, other past Mercedes Championships qualifiers eligible to return include U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen, former British Open champ Justin Leonard, and two-time Masters winner Jose Maria Olazabal, Rocco Mediate and Chris DiMarco.

First-time tour winners include Jerry Kelly, Matt Gogel, Len Mattiace, Kevin Sutherland, Ian Leggatt, Matt Kuchar and Players Championship winner Craig Perks.