KAPALUA, Maui » For those who thought the PGA Tour was staying in Hawaii beyond 2010, don't make any reservations just yet.

PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem conceded contract negotiations for the Mercedes-Benz Championship and the Sony Open in Hawaii will begin soon, but didn't want to speculate too much on the fine print.

The top four players in the world—Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia, Phil Mickelson and Padraig Harrington—aren't here for this week's winners-only event on Maui, which may give tournament sponsor Mercedes-Benz pause before shelling out another $20 million over four years.

Speculation is running rampant that Mercedes wants the tournament moved from the Plantation Course at Kapalua Resort in hopes of luring back Woods, who hasn't played here since 2005, and Mickelson, who has been absent for seven years. The problem for Hawaii remaining a destination for the Mercedes? There are no other courses in the island chain set up for a major event like this one.

Finchem said the main reason Hawaii was selected for the first two events of the year back in 1999 was the weather. If the tour wants to start play in January there aren't many venues in America where bad weather isn't a factor. Prior to coming to Maui in 1999, the winners-only Mercedes was played in California.

“;We used to play this tournament in San Diego and we had weather trouble a lot,”; Finchem said. “;We found the weather over here better than San Diego at this time of year. That's not to say that we couldn't go a different direction maybe, but so far, it seems to be working.”;

There also has been talk of tweaking the format here to allow more players into the field—similar to what the Champions Tour does in its season-opening event at Hualalai—but Finchem wasn't biting.

“;There's no immediate thought of changing it on the calendar,”; Finchem said. “;The format is something that's discussed every couple of years. It's just a usual review. I wouldn't want to speculate that we would necessarily do anything different at this time. It's fairly early in the process.”;

Many local golf observers believe if the Mercedes-Benz up and left town, it would hurt the Sony Open in Hawaii, which has been joined at the hip with the elite-field tournament since 1999. Finchem conceded that the two being paired has helped the Sony, but again, he wouldn't say both would still be around beyond next year.

“;I think it is helpful to have them together in Hawaii,”; Finchem said.

“;We found it to be a good situation over the years. It didn't used to be that way when the Sony was sponsored by United for a good number of years. It was kind of by itself over here in the middle of the West Coast (swing) and didn't start the season. That was a while back. It's hard for me to say what that would be like today.”;

More than likely, the Sony flying solo wouldn't be good. Over the years, most everyone who plays the Mercedes makes it a two-week stay in Hawaii. Ernie Els is always happy to play here because of past success at both island events, but when Woods, Mickelson and Garcia opt out on a regular basis, it's possible both of these tournaments could end in 2010.