ESPN Golf

The trip began before New Year's Day and is scheduled to last at least another 10 days. Fred Funk is spending the first month of 2008 far away from his Florida home, chasing a little whiTe ball and having a blast. Of course, there are worse places than Hawaii to spend so much time.

Funk is in the midst of his "Hawaiian Slam" -- playing four straight tournaments in the Aloha State -- which this week continues on the Big Island at the MasterCard Championship, the season-opening event on the Champions Tour.

And he is the only player eligible for such a run.

When Funk won last year's Turtle Bay Championship on the Champions Tour and followed with a victory on the PGA Tour at the Mayakoba Classic, he became just the third player to ever win on both tours in the same season. And it allowed him to pursue this little dream.

"It's neat to have this opportunity to play both tours like this," Funk said. "My goal last year was to win on each tour, to do this Hawaiian Slam. It's neat. It's fun. I'm hopping to different islands every week to play these tournaments. That's what makes it fun, too. You get to experience all the difference parts of each island, and the golf courses are totally different."

Funk began on Maui at the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship, a winners-only PGA Tour event that he finished tied for 25th. Then it was on to Oahu for the Sony Open, in which he tied for 10th. After this week's tournament, he'll head back to Oahu for the Turtle Bay Championship, which he won by 11 strokes last year.

Funk, 51, has an ambitious goal: To try and earn $2 million on each tour.

"I'm doing it my own way," Funk said. "It's difficult to do for one reason. If you have any high goals on either tour, you're not playing enough to achieve them. You are diluting yourself so much. Winning the Schwab Cup [on the Champions Tour] is impossible. It's hard to set any goals as far as the FedEx Cup or the Ryder Cup, although if something strange happens, I'll re-evaluate at that point."

Funk earned $1.2 million in 22 events last year on the PGA Tour, despite back problems that plagued him after his victory in Mexico. He won $997,000 in 10 starts on the Champions Tour.

His plan now is to play 15-17 events on the PGA Tour and 13 on the Champions Tour.

And it's not going to be easy.

"Right when I turned 50, I was on the Ryder Cup team and I was playing pretty well," said Jay Haas, 54, the last player to compete on both tours. "For me, it was hard to turn my back on it. I felt like I was still competitive out there. It was fun to compete with those guys and it was hard for me to let go.

"I think what I found was I wasn't that focused on either one. My last year on the PGA Tour, I think I played seven events in 2006. The year before it was 18 on the PGA Tour and 10 on the Champions Tour. I don't think that was good for me. I was getting worn out. I don't have as much energy as someone like Fred does. He can play 30-plus events and not be tired."

Funk was all set to go down the path that Haas is now enjoying, focusing on the Champions Tour. He openly joked about looking forward to joining the senior set as his 50th birthday approached.

Then he won the 2005 Players Championship -- and a five-year PGA Tour exemption. "What am I supposed to do with this?" he joked.

That exemption takes him through 2010, and he admits saying goodbye has been difficult. There is more money to be won on the PGA Tour (plus more endorsement incentives). And there is the allure of competing against the best.

"I played my whole life to be out on the regular tour," he said. "It's not that I have anything to prove to anyone else or myself. This is the show. The big show. I want to stay out here as long as I can. I've got this opportunity that's rare. Most days I feel like I'm a young 51. Maybe after one or two more years, I can still make a run at the Champions Tour full time.

"The Champions Tour is not easy. There are more and more good players coming out each year. But if you compare the depth ... there is no comparison. The top players on the Champions Tour are really good and they really want to play. And it gives you the same nerves. You want it just as bad if not more."

Funk, who has eight regular PGA Tour victories, knows he'll have to win several tournaments and contend nearly every week on the Champions Tour to hit the $2-million mark. And he'll need a lot of high finishes to do the same on the regular tour.

"I still pinch myself that I've been able to do this, had the success I've had since I've been out on tour," he said. "With my background, I wouldn't have imaged that. That's what kept the hunger going. I still feel like I have room for improvement. I feel like I haven't peaked yet, like there is a lot more to learn."

Bob Harig is a frequent contributor to ESPN.com. He can be reached at BobHarig@gmail.com.