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Stenson: Leading European challenge

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With the European Tour still enjoying its Christmas and New Year break - for one more week - all eyes will be on Hawaii and the Mercedes-Benz Championship.

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Once again the traditional curtain -raiser for the PGA Tour is being staged over the Plantation Course at Kapalua - on the Hawaiian island of Maui.

Qualification for this event is straightforward: simply win a Tour event during 2007 and you are more than welcome.

However, not all qualifiers are teeing-up, with the world's top two - Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson - turning down invitations to begin their 2008 campaign during the first week of January.

Tiger, winner in 2000, has not played at Kapalua since 2005, while Mickelson last turned up seven years ago.

Staying away

Also staying at home are Open champion Padraig Harrington and last year's runner-up Australian Adam Scott - although US Open winner Angel Cabrera is making the long trip from Argentina.

Yet 31 of the 35 qualifiers have taken up the offer with Europe represented by a brace of Swedes, Henrik Stenson and Daniel Chopra, who are making their debuts in the tournament.

Stenson earned his invite by winning the WGC Matchplay event in Arizona, while Chopra left it late with victory in Florida's Ginn sur Mer Classic on the penultimate weekend of the season.

In the 55-year history of the event only one European, Sergio Garcia in 2002, has emerged triumphant.

Kapalua is hosting the tournament for a 10th time but only two former winners are taking part - Jim Furyk and Vijay Singh.

Furyk, winner in 2001, has a solid record on Maui while Singh, the defending champion, has twice finished second and once third.

The tournament gets underway on Thursday, January 3rd.