The Champions Tour's 29th season kicks off in Hawai'i with the 2008 MasterCard Championship at Hualalai, Jan. 18 to 20 on the Big Island. The season-opener is followed by the Turtle Bay Championship, Jan. 25 to 27, at the resort's Palmer Course. The 2008 schedule was announced Monday.

The Wendy's Champions Skins Game, an unofficial senior event, will move from one side of Maui to the other this year and be played Feb. 23 and 24 at the Royal Ka'anapali Course.

The 2008 senior schedule features 29 official events and prize money of more than $55 million, with the average tournament purse growing to a record $1.9 million. MasterCard, a limited field event, has a $1.8 million purse. Turtle Bay's purse is $1.6 million and the Skins exhibition has a $770,000 purse.

JUNIORS QUALIFY

A dozen Hawai'i juniors qualified for the U.S. Kids World Championship Monday at Turtle Bay Resort. The top girl and boy in each age group advanced to the final, Aug. 2 to 4 at Pinehurst, N.C. The field of 12-under golfers played a shorter age- and gender-friendly course with some divisions playing nine holes and others 18.

Qualifiers and their scores:

Girls: 8-under—Mari Nishiura (Mililani) 35; 9—Allisen Corpuz (Waipahu) 33; 10—Iris Kawada (Kane'ohe) 39; 11—Eimi Koga (Honolulu) 35; 12—Nani Yanagi (Hilo) 36.

Boys: 6-under—Douglas Sears (Koloa) 43; 7—Kane Rogers (Honolulu) 37; 8—Shawn Lu (Honolulu) 38; 9—Kyle Suppa (Honolulu) 33; 10—Donny Hopoi ('Aiea) 34; 11—John Oda (Honolulu) 73; 12—Andy Okita (Mililani) 71.

More than 50 qualifiers are held in the U.S. and internationally. More than 1,000 kids from 30 countries participate.

JPGA AT PRINCEVILLE

Many of Hawai'i's best juniors, including Kristina Merkle, Cyd Okino, Lorens Chan and state high school champion Anna Jang, are playing in the Aloha Section Junior PGA Championship today and tomorrow at the Princeville Makai Course.

Winners of the 13-18 boys' and girls' divisions qualify to join some 150 of the nation's top juniors in the PGA of America's flagship junior event, the Westfield Junior PGA Championship, July 11 to 14, in Ohio.

PGA Play Golf America Day will run in conjunction with the event today, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., and is open to the public.