LAHAINA, Hawaii -- Opening day for the 2008 PGA TOUR season will be celebrated “Hawaiian Style” Thursday, Jan. 3, at Kapalua Resort, at the winners-only Mercedes-Benz Championship. This new kickoff to the 2008 season marks the first time the PGA TOUR has had a designated ceremony to officially launch the Opening Drive for the TOUR.

First, the Kings Guard Drill Team from Honolulu will arrive on the 1st tee on The Plantation Course for an exhibition approximately 15 minutes prior to the start of the tournament (approximately 10:30 am).

The King’s Guard will be followed by a formal presentation of the 2008 Mercedes-Benz Championship Trophy. Next, Kapalua Resort’s Hawaiian cultural advisor Clifford Nae’ole will give a traditional Hawaiian blessing. The ceremony will continue with the playing of the national anthem by the legendary ukelele master Jake Shimabukuro.

Finally, the Honorary Starter Joe Torre, manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers and a property owner at Kapalua, will announce the first pairing of Stephen Ames and Daniel Chopra for the first tee shots of the year.

The Mercedes-Benz Championship is the winners-only, season-opening tournament for the PGA TOUR. Vijay Singh will defend his 2007 title against 32 other pros vying for the $1.1 million winners share of the $5.5 million purse and the keys to a 2008 Mercedes-Benz CL550. The Golf Channel will telecast approximately 17.5 hours of the tournament from 6-10:30 p.m. EST (1-5:30 pm HST), Jan. 3-5, and from 6-10 p.m. EST (1-5:00 pm HST) Jan. 6.

Tickets are available to buy and print on-line through ClicknPrint Tickets. Go to kapalua.com or call 1-877-772-5425. For tournament questions, call 1-866-669-2440.

Kapalua Resort is a 23,000-acre master-planned community set amidst a working pineapple plantation on Maui's northwest coast. The resort is renowned for its world-class golf courses - The Bay and The Plantation Courses; ten residential communities; premier accommodations at The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua; The Kapalua Villas, a villa rental program; Kapalua Luxury Homes, a luxury home rental program; a tennis complex; three white sand beaches, including two of America’s Best Beaches, and a myriad of restaurants and shops. Kapalua Resort hosts a signature event series each year, the PGA TOUR's season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship in January, Whale Quest, Kapalua in February, The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua's Celebration of the Arts festival in March, the Kapalua Wine & Food Festival in June and the recently announced, Kapalua LPGA Classic in October 2008. Readers of Travel + Leisure Golf magazine recognized Kapalua Resort as the #1 Golf Destination in Hawai`i for 2006. Golfweek recognized The Plantation Course as a Top 100 Modern Course for 2007. For more information, visit kapalua.com or call 1- 800-KAPALUA.

Mercedes-Benz USA, headquartered in Montvale, New Jersey, is responsible for the sales, marketing and service of all Mercedes-Benz and Maybach products in the United States. In 2006, MBUSA achieved an all-time sales record of 248,080 new vehicles, setting the highest sales volume ever in its history and achieving 13 consecutive years of sales growth. More information on MBUSA and its products can be found on the Internet at www.mbusa.com and www.maybachusa.com.

Media Contacts:
Karin Sagar
Kapalua Resort
808-669-0844
karin.sagar@kapalua.com

Glenn Hudson
Mercedes-Benz USA
704-223-0385
mbsportspr@aol.com