The last time the Champions Tour took on Hualalai Golf Club it was no match. The seniors slaughtered the course at last year's MasterCard Championship at Hualalai and are back for more this week.

The 2007 Champions Tour kicks off on the Big Island, with Pro-Ams today and tomorrow and the first round of the MasterCard Championship starting Friday.

It is the first of 29 official senior events, with the first full-field tournament next week at the Turtle Bay Championship. All but three of the top 30 on last year's money list have committed to Turtle Bay and Hawai'i's David Ishii will play again on an exemption.

This week's field is about half the usual 78. The season-opening event is open only to winners from the last two years and major champions from the last five.

The field of 41 also includes four sponsor exemptions — Ben Crenshaw, Gary Player, Raymond Floyd and Lanny Wadkins. Mark James is the only eligible golfer not playing.

Loren Roberts lit up Hualalai last year, along with many others. Roberts, who had eagle or birdie on half the 54 holes, won by a shot over Don Pooley with a score of 25-under-par 191.

That was four better than the tournament record and his final-round 61 shattered another mark. He also set tour records for birdies (26) and relation to par (previously 22-under).

Pooley, Jay Haas and D.A. Weibring also broke the former tournament record and the average score for the field was 68. Ten golfers shot 65 or better the final day, with pin placements at their toughest. Pooley had one bogey all week. His total was the lowest to "lose" in tour history.

Roberts won the first three events last year, in his first full season on the Champions Tour (he turned 50 in June of 2005). A career-best $2,365,395 still wasn't enough to hold off Jay Haas who, like Roberts, won four events in 2006 and a tour-best $2,420,227.

Haas was the Champions Tour Player of the Year and won the season-long Charles Schwab Cup $1 million annuity when Roberts missed a par putt on the final hole of the year's final event. Haas donated the $1 million to charities in his hometown of Greenville, S.C.

Mark O'Meara became eligible for the tour when he turned 50 Saturday, but has not yet committed to Turtle Bay. He will be followed this year by Nick Price (Jan. 28), Seve Ballesteros (April 9), Nick Faldo (July 18), Bernhard Langer (Aug. 27), Jeff Sluman (Sept. 11) and John Cook (Oct. 2).

In its 28th year, the seniors tour will play for $54.1 million — about $53.6 million more than when the tour began in 1980 with four tournaments.

NOTES

Gary Player and his wife, Vivienne, celebrate their 50th anniversary Friday. ... Player, 70, shot his age once last year and bettered it twice. Raymond Floyd (63), Bob Charles (70) and Lee Trevino (66) also shot their ages. ... Former Kailua resident Scott Simpson earned $1,340,676 last year, more than any other rookie. ... Dana Quigley is averaging $115,653 every time he tees it up at Hualalai. This will be his 10th appearance. He has broken par his last 17 rounds, and his worst tournament score is even-par 72. ... Kapalua's Mark Rolfing will be the host for The Golf Channel's three-day broadcast this week. ... Rotary Club of Kona Community Foundation, Kealakehe High School and Big Island Junior Golf are the charities for this event. The tournament has raised more than $400,000 for Kailua, Kona charities since it moved to the Big Island in 1997. ... Peter Jacobsen and Jerry Pate will be making their first appearances since July. Jacobsen had hip replacement surgery Sept. 9 and Pate shoulder surgery July 21.