Former champions Vijay Singh, Jerry Kelly and Jeff Sluman are among those who have committed early to play in the 2009 Sony Open in Hawai'i, Jan. 15 to 18 at Waialae Country Club.

Sony is the first full-field event of the PGA Tour season, which opens Jan. 8 to 11 with the Mercedes-Benz Championship at Kapalua. Ernie Els, a two-time Sony champion, qualified to play the winners-only Mercedes and is also expected for the Sony.

Others on the early commitment sheet are Fred Funk, Davis Love III, Shigeki Maruyama and Adam Scott. Defending champion is K.J. Choi.

This year's purse is $5.4 million, with $972,000 to the winner. All four rounds are scheduled to be broadcast live on The Golf Channel.

COLLEGE

PARK, CHU SIGN LETTERS TO PLAY FOR WARRIORS

Hawai'i's men's golf team is beginning to look a lot like Hawai'i. Warriors coach Ronn Miyashiro announced the signing of Henry Park of Kealakehe High School and Alexander Chu of Maryknoll to letters of intent. They will join the Warriors for the 2009-10 season.

Park, a two-time BIIF first-team selection, sat out in 2008 after transferring from Waiakea High School. In 2007, he tied for fifth at the state championship in Waikoloa, following a fourth-place finish the year before.

Earlier this month, Park won championship flight of the Makalei Amateur Championship. He tied for third at the Hawai'i State Junior Golf Association's inaugural Mixed Team Championship and Army Invitational.

Chu was a three-time all-ILH pick. Last season, he tied for 18th at the state championship after a tie for fifth as a sophomore.

Chu has won the Francis Hyde I'i Brown Four-Ball Match Play Championship twice. Last year he captured the OJGA Pearl Junior Open and was second at the Hickam Invitational. He tied for fifth at Army Invitational.

Both Park and Chu were members of the USA Hawai'i-Japan Cup all-star team this month.

"Our golf team is very lucky to have two of the best players in Hawai'i commit early to play for the Warriors in 2009," Miyashiro said. "They both had options to go to the Mainland for school, but chose to stay home and not only represent the University of Hawai'i, but the people of Hawai'i as well. I look forward to having them join our team and helping us reach our goals of a WAC title and NCAA appearance."

The team is loaded with talent from the 50th state. Current team members include TJ Kua (Lihue), Pono Calip (Hilo) and Jared Sawada (Mililani).

ALOHA SECTION PGA

NELSON, SASADA TEAM TO DEFEND TITLE

Makena's Kirk Nelson and Brian Sasada will defend their title at the Aloha Section PGA E-Z Go/Golf Concepts Head Pro-Assistant Pro Championship, Monday and Tuesday at Hualalai Golf Club.

The tournament is a 36-hole, four-ball stroke play event with 27 teams. Total purse is $11,400. The first round will be played at Hualalai and the final round at Ke'olu.

NOTES

The Champions Tour has released its 2009 schedule. It starts in Hawai'i, with the Wendy's Champions Skins Game at Ka'anapali, Jan. 17 and 18. The $770,000 event on Maui is being played Sony Open in Hawai'i weekend. The following week (Jan. 23 to 25), the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai will be on the Big Island, with a purse of $1.8 million.

An Adidas-Easton-Reyn Spooner-Baden Sample Sale, open to the public, will be held Dec. 6, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Blaisdell exhibition hall. More than 40 representatives, with more than 200 manufacturers, will have sporting goods, gifts, apparel, shoes and accessories.

Mary Bea Porter-King, president of the Hawai'i State Junior Golf ASsociation, will be a guest on Emily T. Gail Talks Golf Sunday, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on ESPN Radio AM850 Hilo and AM790 Kona on the Big Island. Porter-King will talk about the role of the HSJGA in the development of well-rounded golfers, and the opportunities for everyone from beginners to college scholarship players because of the community support of the organization. Porter-King was the Team USA-Hawai'i coach at the recent Junior Cup with Japan. She will talk about that event with Karen Murray Boston of sponsor HGVC.