Kapalua’s Plantation course captures Hawaii’s unique assets perfectly. Painted broadly across the West Maui mountains, it provides breathtaking views and an exposure to the elements that can also take your breath away.

Hyundai’s Tournament of Champions is similar. Its selective guest list guarantees a small, elite field. The greatest golfers in the world qualify and are easier to watch than at maybe any venue. But if they don’t show, their absence is obvious.

When the TOC tees off Friday at the Plantation, defending champ Dustin Johnson will join major champs Adam Scott and Jason Dufner, and Matt Kuchar, Zach Johnson and Brandt Snedeker to put six of the world’s top-ranked golfers on Maui. The 30-man field also includes 20-year-old Rookie of the Year Jordan Spieth and Woody Austin, about to turn 50.

It will not have top-ranked Tiger Woods, third-ranked Henrik Stenson, fourth-ranked Justin Rose, fifth-ranked Phil Mickelson or 14th-ranked Graeme McDowell. All have something more important to do.

Top-20 golfers Rory McIlroy, Steve Stricker, Sergio Garcia, Jason Day, Ian Poulter, Luke Donald, Charl Schwartzel, Jim Furyk and Keegan Bradley didn’t win on tour, so can’t play.

"The top 30 gets you into the Masters and U.S. Open," said Maui’s Mark Rolfing, "but not here."

For years Rolfing, a golf analyst for the Golf Channel and NBC, has lobbied to open the field on Maui. His chant has grown louder as some of the best international players passed on Kapalua to play overseas, and Woods and Mickelson have shunned Maui repeatedly.

Rolfing sees a true world tour happening in the next decade and wants Hawaii to play a major role because of its geography and long history with the PGA Tour.

Rolfing also sees the Plantation getting a makeover. A year ago, Hyundai kicked off a year of weird tour weather when its first three days were blown away by a big breeze that knocked golf balls off greens.

This year, Rolfing is amazed at how soft the golf course feels and not surprised to see designer Ben Crenshaw making the trip to Maui to discuss renovations.

"The main purpose for Ben coming out this weekend is he really wants to look at how the course is playing," Rolfing said. "He wants to talk to some players and get impressions. He was watching last year on TV. He’s been watching for a decade and he has seen how climate change has really affected this course."

Weather patterns have shifted, according to Rolfing, using last year’s freaky wind frenzy and the Plantation’s current condition as primary evidence. He said when the course was first envisioned nearly 30 years ago, trade winds were so predictable all the holes took them into account. The short holes all come back up the mountain and the long ones go down.

He remembers hitting a driver and 7-iron to the green at the 663-yard downhill 18th one year, the same day he hit driver and 7-iron to the green at the 353-yard uphill third hole. He doesn’t think that will happen again, especially not this week.

The weather report calls for Kona winds (from the southwest) today, followed by showers and shifting winds Friday and trade winds up to 25 mph the final three days. All the Kona wind recently has caused the course to become saturated and play long, in contrast to trade winds that "almost blow the water off the side of the mountain," Rolfing said.

He sees Crenshaw considering new tees and greens for a tournament that just received an extension through next year.

"If there is a longer term commitment to playing a tournament here, it would give everybody the security that they could do some work," Rolfing said. "My hope is they starting moving in that direction. The signs are very positive here."

A year ago, Johnson came in a week early and blasted through the breeze to go 16-under par in a tournament scaled back to 54 holes. He won by four as the TOC started and stopped two of the first three days and never began Saturday. The 30 golfers — 12 who were eligible did not play –played 36 holes Monday, which was supposed to be the final day, and blew out of town after the final 18 Tuesday.

Johnson came in early again this time, arriving Friday. He is the only TOC champion in a field that has all 13 first-time winners from 2013. Spieth is one of five golfers under 25. Sony Open in Hawaii champ Russell Henley is another.

The Hyundai Tournament of Champions is officially the seventh event of the 2013-14 season. Six fall events opened the season, followed by five weeks off.