The Mercedes-Benz Championship, the first of back-to-back events in Hawaii, officially begins the third season of the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup.

Two-time Mercedes-Benz winner Tiger Woods, still recovering from the left knee surgery he had after winning the U.S.

Tiger Woods remained in first, followed by Sergio Garcia, Phil Mickelson, Padraig Harrington and Vijay Singh.

Robert Karlsson, Camilo Villegas, Henrik Stenson, Ernie Els and Lee Westwood rounded out the top 10.

Hole-by-Hole: TOOMEY NINE FLYNN NINE 1 - Par 4 385 Yds 1 - Par 4 400 Yds 2 - Par 4 447 Yds 2 - Par 4 372 Yds 3 - Par 3 233 Yds 3 - Par 4 404 Yds 4 - Par 4 366 Yds 4 - Par 3 184 Yds 5 - Par 3 184 Yds 5 - Par 4 467 Yds 6 - Par 4 450 Yds 6 - Par 5 571 Yds 7 - Par 5 556 Yds 7 - Par 4 400 Yds 8 - Par 4 412 Yds 8 - Par 3 211 Yds 9 - Par 4 460 Yds 9 - Par 4 434 Yds Par 35 3,493 Yds Par 35 3,443 Yds Key Events Held: Lynnewood Hall Challenge Cup (1901-39, 1982-present),Pennsylvania Amateur (1909, 1911, 1923, 1939, 1964, 1975,1984, 1995, 2005),Pennsylvania Open Championship (1923),Pennsylvania Senior Amateur Championship (1966, 1971, 1978,1995),Mason-Dixon Matches (2001),GAP Tournament of Champions (2005).

Awards Won: Ranked 6th by Golf Digest - Best in Sta

He handled the first part so well that Elin is pregnant with the couple's second child. However, Woods could not avoid his first truly serious injury. He did the best he could gutting it out, which was a victory at the U.S. Open and nearly taking another Player of the Year award.

Woods is a freak of nature and dominated yet another year even though he only made it through half of it.

Woods is clinging to a lead of just 3.87 average ranking points over Sergio Garcia heading into 2009. At the end of 2007, his lead was 10.9 points over Phil Mickelson.

Still recuperating from the left knee surgery he had following his epic U.S. Open win, Woods is unsure of his return date. If it takes too long, he could lose his hold on the No. 1 spot for the first time since June 5, 2005.

More than that, Sterne earned an automatic invitation to the Masters by moving into the top 50 in the last rankings of the year. Fourteen more players not otherwise exempt -- those in the top 50 without spots in the field already -- also earned invitations to Augusta.

Rory McIlroy, who tied for third place in South Africa, was among those players, having moved up to 39th.

There was a dual major winner, but it was not who you think it was.

Kenny Perry became a big story for skipping two majors and playing the opposite events in hopes of making the U.S.

Singh, who topped the PGA Tour's money list this season, completed his first win at this event at 11-under-par 277.

"Very unexpected.

Kim, closing out a star-making season that included two wins and an appearance in the Ryder Cup, will carry a one-shot advantage over Furyk into the final round at Tiger Woods' tournament.

"I don't feel any pressure," said Kim, who stands at eight-under-par 208.

Furyk, the overnight leader by two, remained ahead by that margin at Sherwood Country Club. He finished 36 holes at five-under 139 and has the midway lead in pursuit of his first title at this event.

In years past, tournament host Tiger Woods made it difficult for anyone but the host to win.

Boo Weekley and K.J. Choi carded matching rounds of two-under 70 and share second place.

Tiger Woods is the tournament host and a four-time winner, but is still not ready for golf after summer knee surgery. That opened the door for several players to get a final paycheck as this is the final event on the 2008 calendar, albeit an unofficial one on the PGA Tour.

Woods underwent season-ending reconstructive left knee surgery in June following a memorable win in a 19-hole playoff against Rocco Mediate at last year's U.S. Open, earning a 14th career major championship.

Second all-time only to Jack Nicklaus who has 18, Woods discussed his current state of health and was noncommittal about when he plans to resume his PGA schedule.

In an award selected by fellow competitors on the PGA Tour, Harrington was chosen ahead of Kenny Perry, Vijay Singh, Camilo Villegas and Tiger Woods.

Harrington became just the fourth international player to capture the honor since it was instituted in 1990 and the first European player to win it. The other non-Americans to be selected were Nick Price in 1993 and '94, Greg Norman in 1995 and Singh in 2004.

Announcing the 16-man field on December 11, Woods paid special attention to the young players who will compete at Sherwood Country Club beginning on Thursday.

Anthony Kim, 23, and Camilo Villegas and Hunter Mahan, both 26, each had impressive seasons, Woods said in a release posted on his Web site.

Clark claimed the Australian Open and jumped 14 places to No. 28 in the world, while Sterne won the Alfred Dunhill Championship to leap 39 places to 74th.

Tiger Woods remained No. 1 and was again followed by Sergio Garcia, Phil Mickelson, Padraig Harrington, Vijay Singh and Robert Karlsson.

Hoch and Perry finished the three-round championship at 31-under-par 185 at Tiburon Golf Club.

For Hoch, this was his first victory in this tournament after several runner- up finishes in years past.

Hoch and Perry stood at 19-under-par 125 for a four-shot advantage over J.B. Holmes and Boo Weekley (62).

Nick Price and Jeff Sluman, the first-round leaders, shot a 66 on Saturday and slipped into third place at 14-under 130, while Zach Johnson and Scott Verplank (64) sat two strokes further back at 12-under 132.

Scott Hoch and Kenny Perry are in second place after a seven-under 65, while J.B. Holmes and Boo Weekley stand third at five-under 67.

The teams of Stewart Cink and Fred Couples and Zach Johnson and Scott Verplank shot four-under 68s.

Prior to Father's Day, the No. 1 players on both tours were off to dominant starts. Tiger Woods had won four of his five starts on the PGA Tour, while Lorena Ochoa was victorious in six of her 10 starts.

Things started to change for Ochoa as the month of May wound to a close. She withdrew from the Ginn Tribute, which started on May 29, as her sick uncle took a turn for the worse. Before she was able to make it back to Guadalajara, her uncle passed away.

"I've been waiting for this day," said Pavin. "I can't even begin to describe how happy we are to be a part of this fantastic event.

It's an honor and privilege to represent America." Pavin, a 15-time winner on the PGA Tour, competed in three Ryder Cups.

Frazar completed the six-round marathon at 32-under-par 400, eight strokes clear of the field. His four-round total of 400 tied Steve Allan's tournament record from 2000.

James Nitties and amateur Derek Fathauer shared second place at 24-under-par 408. They both shot two-under 70 in the final round.

Austin became the seventh player to win the event in his first try, while Calcavecchia claimed his second Shootout victory after pairing with Steve Elkington for a win in 1995.

The defending champions will return to lead a 12-team field that features 24 players who have combined to win 163 times on the PGA Tour, including 10 major championships.

Stenson's victory in South Africa came over an impressive field that included Kenny Perry, Robert Karlsson, Rory Sabbatini, Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, K.J.

Choi, James Kingston, Justin Rose, Trevor Immelman, Luke Donald and Miguel Angel Jimenez.

"Which one is Michelle Wie?" she asked.

"The tall, pretty one," I said.

Frazar finished 90 holes at 27-under 333 and is five clear with one round to go until he claims a PGA Tour card for the 2009 season.

After Monday's final round, the lowest 25 scores and ties will earn PGA Tour cards for next year.