PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Mercedes-Benz USA has agreed to a four-year renewal as title sponsor of the PGA TOUR's season-opening Mercedes Championships, extending its involvement through 2010.

Mercedes has been the tournament's title sponsor since 1994. Unique in that its field is exclusive to the previous year's PGA TOUR winners, the Mercedes Championships has been held at The Plantation Course at the Kapalua Resort in Maui since 1999.

"We are extremely pleased to announce Mercedes' continued sponsorship of the Mercedes Championships," PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem said. "The tournament has a tradition of being our tournament of champions and leading off the TOUR schedule with its winners-only field from the previous season. Now, the Mercedes Championships' significance will be magnified as the leadoff tournament for the FedEx Cup. We look forward to its continued growth through the support of Mercedes."

The extension coincides with next year's start of the TOUR's new television agreements and introduction of the new FedEx Cup competition, a dramatic season-long points bonus program for players and the centerpiece to the restructured PGA TOUR season in 2007. Scheduled for Jan. 4-7 next year, all four rounds of the Mercedes Championships will be televised on The Golf Channel, the TOUR's exclusive cable network provider for the next 15 years.

"The Mercedes Championships has been the traditional opening tournament for the world of professional golf and its top players, an event unlike any other," said Paul Halata, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA. "It is a perfect match for the values of the Mercedes brand."

The tournament dates back to 1953, when it was known as the Tournament of Champions and staged in Las Vegas, Nev. It then moved to Carlsbad, Calif., in 1969 and remained until moving to The Plantation Course at the Kapalua Resort in 1999.

Since the move to Maui, the tournament host organization, Kapalua Maui Charities, has donated more than $2 million to local charities.

"We are extremely happy to continue our partnerships with Mercedes-Benz USA and the PGA TOUR," said tournament chairman Gary Planos. "The Kapalua Resort looks forward to starting the PGA TOUR season for the next four years on The Plantation Course."

Last month, Australian Stuart Appleby became the second player to win three Mercedes Championships in a row, joining Gene Littler (1955-57).