KAPALUA, Maui » Even though this week marks the start of Aloha Season, which stretches from now through January, the state of professional golf in the islands is precarious at best.

Granted, there are still two PGA Tour, two LPGA Tour and two Champions Tour events for local golf fans to enjoy on Oahu, Maui and the Big Island while most of the country is caught in winter's grip.

But it doesn't take a genius to see that all six of these tournaments could disappear like your 401(k) plan if the Hawaii Tourism Authority and tournament directors don't remain vigilant.

There are several factors working against Hawaii in keeping the Aloha Season sound and secure into the next decade, but the two basic ones are money and location. With the country slipping into a recession and many of the tours' sponsors linked to financial institutions and car companies, you get the feeling that multimillion-dollar events might become a scarce commodity if the economy doesn't improve over the next couple of years.

Contracts for the two PGA events—the Mercedes-Benz Championship and the Sony Open in Hawaii—are signed through 2010. The LPGA has a contract for the SBS Open at Turtle Bay inked through the coming year, while the Champions Tour tournament at Hualalai will be without a sponsor in 2009 and Wendy's commitment to the Senior Skins beyond the current deal is in doubt.

Even this week's inaugural Kapalua LPGA Classic is without a title sponsor as tournament director Gary Planos searches for the right playing partner. This event replaces the Fields Open in Hawaii that died after the Japanese company elected not to renew its Ko Olina contract earlier this year.

Geography is also a problem for the 50th state, what with increased production costs for television networks to get the proper equipment in place to broadcast the events, not to mention the dip in tourism that is projected to remain down deep into 2009. One of the reasons for the HTA to drop money into these events is to promote Hawaii as a destination for those who love to play this game.

Local television golf analyst Mark Rolfing, who has worked extensively with the HTA and the respective tours to keep Hawaii on the professional golf map, believes the next round of contract talks will be challenging for all involved.

He feels it's a 50-50 proposition that the Mercedes-Benz Championship will remain on Maui after the 2010 contract expires and is concerned if that prestigious event moves back to the West Coast that the Sony Open will suffer as well.

“;Remember what the old Hawaiian Open was like before Sony came on board?”; Rolfing asked. “;Well, that could happen again if the Mercedes leaves Maui. I think we better dig our heels in and work very hard to keep what we have. There are opportunities out there. We just have to seize them.”;

  A GOOD EXAMPLE is the SBS Open, a major brand in South Korea. Anyone paying attention to the LPGA knows the influx of golfers from South Korea has been amazing. With the new visa waivers in place, Hawaii could be a major tourist destination, with golf a potential vehicle.

“;Can you imagine what could be done if we market the SBS Open properly?”; Rolfing said. “;They love to play golf in South Korea, and Hawaii is the perfect destination, especially if you have a major LPGA event in place on Oahu. We need to take advantage of this and get a deal done.”;

Planos saw an opportunity to market Kapalua in the fall by brining an LPGA event back to Maui. The Bay Course is a perfect spot and the timing couldn't be better. In the latest edition of GolfWorld magazine, the 2009 Readers' Choice Awards listed Kapalua as the sixth-best resort in the world.

“;We couldn't be happier to have this event on our schedule,”; said Planos, who is also the tournament director for the Mercedes. “;The players are so excited to be here, the commissioner is pleased with the setup and we feel like this is a great marketing tool for us in a normally slow time of the year.”;

As for the Mercedes, Planos is still excited about the winners-only tournament, but says there are many outside forces at work making it difficult to attract the world's best players. Rolfing, whose Lincoln-Mercury event at Kapalua was a precursor for the Mercedes, is even more blunt in his assessment.

  “;The PGA Tour has too many events, more is not necessarily better,”; Rolfing said. “;With Tiger's (Woods) event running through Dec. 18 and the Mercedes starting only a few weeks later, there just isn't enough down time for the players. What with the Ryder Cup, the FedEx Cup and the President's Cup, you've made January the down time for the players instead of the fall. It's hurting the Mercedes.”;

  THROW IN THE Dubai tournaments scheduled for January and February that keep many of the European players on that side of the Atlantic, and you can see what Planos is dealing with.

“;Sergio (Garcia) told me to play in Hawaii he would have to fly 30 hours over here and then 30 hours back to Dubai,”; Planos said. “;It's getting harder and harder to get all the year's previous winners to come here the first week in January.”;

With that said, this year's Mercedes class is an exciting one, what with local favorite Parker McLachlin in the mix, as well as Anthony Kim, Camilo Villegas and Ernie Els committed to playing.

“;I remember when Parker used to work on the range,”; Planos said. “;We're very excited he's in the field. We already know Tiger, Phil (Mickelson) and Sergio aren't coming. But instead of dwelling on those not here, we prefer to talk about those guys who will be here. And it's still a very strong field.”;

The Sony Open has benefited from the Mercedes starting the PGA Tour season. There are many fans who remember Villegas being paired with Michelle Wie at the Sony, before his recent rise on the FedEx Cup leaderboard. He finished second to Vijay Singh, who will also be in Hawaii this year, in the FedEx Cup race.

“;There are still a lot of positives about Hawaii golf,”; Rolfing conceded. “;But if we want to keep the Aloha Season thriving, there are some tough choices ahead. The Champions Tour wants to have two tournaments out here in the future and so does the LPGA Tour. But we need to act decisively as a state to make it work.”;