Mercedes isn't the only one disappointed that four players passed on the invitation-only Mercedes Championships, which opens the PGA Tour season this week at Kapalua, Maui.

Fred Funk, who was critical of Phil Mickelson for skipping the Tour Championship, said yesterday he can't understand why Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Retief Goosen and Padraig Harrington would not want to be here.

Woods (1), Mickelson (3) and Goosen (4) are among the top five in World Golf Rankings, while Harrington is 17th. That cut the field of 28 — made up of 2005 winners — to 24.

Funk cut some slack for Mickelson because of Kapalua's relatively radical conditions. The wind, slope and massive greens are not typical on tour.

"You feel like you get in some bad habits and he doesn't want to get into those," Funk said. "He wants to work on his fundamentals, wants to work on his game that's going to carry him through the rest of the season.

"I can understand that to a point. But it's such a reward for having a good year last year. It's a reward for playing. Mercedes is putting up a lot of money. They want to see your marquee guys."

That obviously includes Woods, who won here in 2000 and is the sport's biggest draw. His reason for passing was he "wanted an offseason." Goosen, from South Africa, and Harrington, from Ireland, cited distance.

"I think they should be here. ...," Funk said. "If you qualify for one of these, you got to be laying on your death bed before you can't come to one of these events. It really hurts the field."

Bart Bryant, who won the Tour Championship last year, also had a tough time with anyone missing Mercedes. "I hate it," Bryant admitted. "I wish those guys were here, for various reasons. For Mercedes, for the fans, for ESPN, for the players. Even for us.

"I mean, it's going to be a fabulous week. There's great players here, no doubt about it. But, to lose those four players, even from a player's standpoint, there's just a little something missing."