When the Champions Tour opens its season on the Big Island later this month the tournament will have a different name — barely. The MasterCard Championship is now officially the MasterCard Championship at Hualalai, according to the PGA Tour.

The tournament is Jan. 20 to 22 at Hualalai's Jack Nicklaus-design course.

Dana Quigley, the 2004 runner-up, defeated Tom Watson in a sudden-death playoff to win the 2005 event. He went on to collect the Arnold Palmer Award as the tour's leading money winner and was voted Player of the Year/Jack Nicklaus Trophy winner by his fellow pros.

The Championship will air live in prime time on the East Coast on The Golf Channel all three days.

Hualalai's new course, designed by Tom Weiskopf, is ranked seventh in Golf Digest's list of Best New Private Courses. The survey appears in this month's issue.

STADLER KICKS OFF SONY ACTIVITIES AT HILTON

Craig Stadler, a 13-time winner on the PGA Tour and the leading money winner on the Champions Tour in 2004, will have an autograph session Sunday, from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Tapa Tower concourse.

Stadler tied for ninth at last year's Sony Open in Hawai'i and tees off in this year's Sony next Thursday at Waialae Country Club.

The resort also will hold other tournament activities during the week. From Sunday to Friday, Luana Hills Country Club pros Darin Sumimoto and Leland Lindsey will offer free tips, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., on the hotel's Village Green. There will also be a Putt for Prizes contest those days, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., on the hotel's Tapa Concourse. Sony Open and Hilton Grand Vacations merchandise will be given out.

On Monday, at 5:30 p.m., the Hilton's Village Steak and Seafood Restaurant will offer a wine tasting of Greg Norman and Arnold Palmer wines.

The Hilton Hawaiian Village is selling daily and season badges at its American Express Desk on the Tapa Concourse. On tournament days (Jan. 12 to 15), roundtrip shuttle service to Waialae Country Club departs from the Village's Tapa Bus Depot every 30 minutes, beginning at 7 a.m. Cost is $2 each way.

BALANCE POINT SCHOOLS AT KO OLINA THIS MONTH

Balance Point Golf Schools, which have been included in Golf Magazine's Top 25 Golf Schools, will be at Ko Olina Golf Course this month. A variety of one- to five-day golf schools are offered, covering full swing fundamentals, mental game and short game instruction.

Balance Point founder Jim Waldron created a school that "integrates physical mechanics, balance and tempo training with mental conditioning to help students make significant and lasting improvements."

Balance Point Golf Schools have conducted instruction programs here annually since 1995. This month's schools will be the only Hawai'i programs in 2006. For more information, visit the company's Web site at balancepointgolf.com or call (800) 898-4563.