Talk about giving thanks.

Dean Wilson wanted to spend Thanksgiving at home in Kane'ohe with his parents, Grace and Don.

Nobody was more thankful that the card-carrying PGA Tour pro came home for the holiday than Donn Takahashi, president of Prince Resorts, title sponsor of the 72-hole Hawai'i State Open, starting today at the Hawai'i Prince Golf Club.

Takahashi was more than elated to extend an exemption to Wilson, boosting an already talented field in the final major tournament in local golf. "We're very honored to have Dean Wilson play in the State Open," he said.

No Tadd Fujikawa, who leaves today for Japan to play in the Casio World Open next week, or three-time champion Kevin Hayashi, who's playing in the TaylorMade Pro-Am in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, this weekend.

However, the majority of the state's leading professionals are entered, including past champions David Ishii, Lance Suzuki, Casey Nakama, Brian Sasada, Chuck Davis and Kris Moe. Also Kevin Carll, Regan Lee and Casey Watabu, the 2006 U.S. Men's Amateur Public Links champion, who turned pro last month.

Among the leading amateurs in the championship field are Brandan Kop, Lorens Chan, Bradley Shigezawa and Taeksoo Kim — all using the Hawai'i State Open as a tune-up for the Gov. John A. Burns Challenge Cup two weeks from now.

A shoulder injury is keeping Tom Eubank from defending his title. But Leland Lindsay and Cyd Okino are back to defend the senior and women's titles. Okino erased Michelle Wie's record as the youngest state champion by two months with last year's victory two weeks before her 13th birthday.

The spotlight, though, will be on Wilson, who along with Parker McLachlin, are the only two players from Hawai'i on the PGA Tour.

"I had some time off and wanted to come home for Thanksgiving," said Wilson, who now resides in Las Vegas.

Although he grew up learning his game at the Pali municipal course, Wilson played most of his competitive golf everywhere but here — at Brigham Young University as a walk-on, then on the Asian and Japan tours and before finally making it on the PGA Tour full-time in 2003.

So he has rarely been home during the time of the state open. He remembers playing in the tournament only once.

"On the Big Island some place, about 10 years ago," he said.

How'd he do?

"Not sure," he said. "I know I didn't win."

This time he has to be the odds-on favorite, coming off his second best year on the PGA Tour. He finished 76th on the 2007 money list with $1.25 million, making the cut in 18 of the 28 events he entered. More than one-half of his earnings this came as a result of his four top-10 finishes: FBR Open (T-8), Verizon Heritage (T-10), Stanford St. Jude Championship (T-5) and Valero Texas Open (T-6).

Wilson's also well-rested, not having to play in the final two tour events of the PGA fall season because his exempt status had been secured.

Wilson described 2007 as a "good year" but obviously not a great one because he didn't win unlike the year before when he recorded his first PGA victory at the International and finished 22nd on the money list with $2.5 million.

"I'm trying to win out there, so not winning might be disappointing. But I had a good season and it's the first time I had to deal with an injury. I had my share of opportunities and good tournaments," said Wilson, who played in six fewer events than he did in 2006.

Wilson will try to become the fourth player to win the Hawai'i State Open while a member of the PGA Tour. The other three are Hilo's Steve Veriato, Scott Simpson and the late Clyde Rego.

Veriato won back-to-back titles in 1977-'78 and Simpson ended Veriato's bid for a three-peat in 1979 the year before he got his first PGA victory at the Western Open. Rego won in 1983 after making it out of Q-School and also playing in the U.S. Open at Oakmont that year.

The Hawai'i State Open, which began in 1974 in honor of the late Ted Makalena, was played at the Ala Wai Golf Course for the first 10 years. Playing in the senior division is Kaua'i's Dan Nishimoto, the tournament's first champion.

Here's some more tournament trivia: Who won the most titles? Good guess if you say Ishii, who has won it three times. A better guess, and partly correct, if you say Suzuki, who shares the honors with Simpson with four championship trophies.

Simpson, who won the 1987 U.S. Open when he resided here, also won the Hawai'i State Open in 1981 at Ala Wai and again in 1993-'94 when the tournament was held at Makena South on Maui.

Suzuki won the first of his four titles in 1976 — the year before he played briefly on the PGA Tour after making it out of Q-School — and again in 1986, 1988 and 1992.