KAHUKU — Jerry Pate might have won what will be known as Survivor: Turtle Bay 2008.

But will the Turtle Bay Championship survive to see a 2009 and give Pate an opportunity to defend his title?

For that matter, will the Champions Tour still be around next year?

With MasterCard pulling out at Hualalai and the Turtle Bay Championship going along without an outside corporate title sponsor for the seventh straight year, suddenly there's a grim prospect of not seeing some of golf's golden oldies.

"It would be a tragedy," said Hale Irwin.

Irwin, the Champions Tour's all-time money winner, can't remember not starting the golf season in Hawai'i, where he certainly has found a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. He has won eight official PGA Tour events here — including two at Hualalai and four at Turtle Bay — and earned more than $8 million of which $930,284 came here at the Palmer Course.

"There is no one who has been here who doesn't want to come back," Irwin said.

"I don't have a magic formula to save the tournament but I hope we can. I would hate to see it go away. This is one of the best golf courses we play all year. Well, maybe not the wind," he said after completing his wind-blown round yesterday.

"I think I speak for all of the other players that we'd like to stay. We need a magic pill to keep it going or there will be a void in Hawai'i."

One guy who would definitely miss it is John Cook, who played both Hualalai and Turtle Bay for the first time.

"Hopefully, they find sponsors for these two fine events. It's a great way to start the Champions Tour season," said Cook, winner of the 1992 United Airlines Hawaiian Open.

Not having the Champions Tour around would have even more of an impact on senior golfers who reside in Hawai'i.

Dave Eichelberger, who's starting his 15th year on the senior tour, has played in all seven events at Turtle Bay along with Irwin.

"I always look forward to playing here. I hope they can come up with something," said Eichelberger, a member of the Oahu Country Club.

The Turtle Bay Resort is trying its best to land a sponsor, according to Matt Hall, the resort's director of golf.

"We want to be the host of this event next year," Hall said. "Our contract with the tour ended with this event but we'd like to renew as the host. We're going to actively seek a title sponsor."

Turtle Bay's chances of coming up with a sponsor instead of going it alone again depends on Hualalai's success in finding one as well, according to Hall.

"HVB (Hawai'i Visitors Bureau) realizes the economic impact of professional golf in Hawai'i," Hall said. "I think we have to have both. People will be hard-pressed to come for just one. There is a great synergy between MasterCard and Turtle Bay. It's going to be a tough challenge to find two sponsors."

Ray Stosik, executive director for Turtle Bay, the Sony Open and the SBS Open, is optimistic after hearing encouraging words from the PGA Tour.

"In the past we asked them to find us a sponsor. Now they're saying they may be able to help us as far as financial help with the purse or something. So they're trying to figure that out," Stosik said. "The tour feels very strongly at this time that they will continue the event (at Hualalai) in the future. So they know it becomes more important to have two events here in Hawai'i.

"What I've basically asked the tour is to keep it (Turtle Bay) going for at least another year. The owners of the resort want to maintain the Champions Tour event here."

Stosik said several possible sponsors have stepped up this week.

"So we're trying to bring all parties together in the next month or two at the latest to put together a sponsor for a multi-year or at least a one-year extension."

Before this week, Stosik said the chances of the Turtle Bay Championship surviving next year were "50-50."

"Now, I think it's 70-30."