KAPALUA, Maui » If you're searching for past winners at Kapalua this week, look no further than Geoff Ogilvy. The defending champion is the only one here as the PGA Tour opens on Maui for the 12th consecutive year with the SBS Championship.

Ogilvy was unaware he is the lone wolf in this elite field who has won here before. Of the 28 teeing it up today on the famed Plantation Course, just seven were here last year. The only three 2009 tour winners not here this week are Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Henrik Stenson.

“;Really?”; Ogilvy said upon learning he's the only one who has tamed the long and hilly 18 hole-course designed by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore. “;Probably most places you go to, there will be knowledgeable people who have won on that golf course before.

“;I guess it's interesting. (But) a lot of these guys have been here a lot. You guys have the numbers, but there are guys who have played here five or six or seven times.”;

World No. 3 Steve Stricker believes the reason for all the turnover is the depth of talent on the PGA Tour. Just because you had success one year, doesn't mean it will still be in your bag the next.

“;There are a lot of guys capable of winning each week,”; Stricker said. “;The depth of our tour is so strong. It's just tough to win out here in general. Golf is a game of cycles. I'm a testament to that. There are up years and down years. It's just the nature of the game and again it goes back to the strength of this tour and the depth of this tour.”;

Past winners missing from the scene are Woods, Vijay Singh, Ernie Els, Stuart Appleby, David Duval, Daniel Chopra, Sergio Garcia and Jim Furyk. But on the positive side, all four major champions (Masters winner Angel Cabrera, U.S. Open champ Lucas Glover, PGA Championship winner Y.E. Yang and British Open champion Stewart Cink) are in the field as well as talented Americans Kenny Perry, Sean O'Hair and defending Sony Open in Hawaii winner Zach Johnson.

All of them will be playing for a piece of the $5.6 million purse, with the winner earning $1.2 million and the guy finishing last still pocketing $70,000.

The conditions here on Maui are excellent. The breezes have been from the Kona side the last couple of days, but they are expected to give way today to the more traditional trades. If that's the case, look for the winner to go low. Last year, Ogilvy finished six strokes clear of the field at 24-under 268, some seven shots shy of Els' 2003 record.

The Australian managed all four rounds in the 60s on the par-73 course after not breaking 70 in two previous appearances. Regardless, he's ready to defend an event won by an international golfer the last eight years. Furyk was the last American to win in 2001.

“;It's always nice to come back to somewhere where you've won a golf tournament,”; Ogilvy said. “;It's never disappointing this time of year in Kapalua. It's a pretty nice place. I think that everyone who is in the tournament is glad they're here.”;

Yang is among seven golfers making their first appearance at Kapalua. He overtook Woods down the stretch at the PGA Championship to become the first player from Asia to win a major. The other six first-timers here are Martin Laird, Ryan Moore, Nathan Green, Pat Perez, Bo Van Pelt and Paul Casey.

“;I think the golf course is in ideal condition,”; Yang said. “;I wouldn't say it would be a birdie-fest, but there will be a lot of chances for birdies.”;

Casey is one of three golfers here among the top 10 in the world at No. 8. Stricker is third and Perry is 10th. There are eight of the top 20 in the field, with most of these golfers expected to play in next week's Sony Open as well.