Tiger Woods is so serious about wanting a shorter season on the PGA Tour that he is skipping the Mercedes Championships at Kapalua next month.

"I haven't had an offseason," Woods said. "And I need one."

Woods' withdrawal is a serious blow to the star-depraved Mercedes Championships, which is limited to PGA Tour winners from the previous year. Top 10 players Phil Mickelson, Retief Goosen, Padraig Harrington, Ernie Els and Adam Scott also are not expected to play.

Vijay Singh, Sergio Garcia and Jim Furyk are expected to be in the field, which could be down to 28.

"Not having Tiger at Kapalua will hurt, but we're excited about the improvements we made to the Plantation course and to the clubhouse," Kapalua vice president Gary Planos said. "We're not running a funeral, we're running a championship. We're going to show Kapalua to a freezing mainland."