Roberts, Haas ready for O.C. showdown  PGATOUR.com Editorial Coordinator There's a rivalry going on in the O.C. this week, but it has nothing to do with characters on the recently cancelled hit television show on FOX. In fact, it's the GOLF CHANNEL where this drama will be found, as Loren Roberts and Jay Haas renew their friendly competition from last year on the course at Newport Beach Country Club for the Toshiba Classic. Roberts snatched the Charles Schwab Cup points lead from Haas after The ACE Group Classic, reclaiming the position he held for much of 2006 before Haas beat him by a mere 20 points at season's end.  Loren Roberts is hoping to maintain his lead in the Charles Schwab Cup this week. (Greenwood/WireImage)
"Jay and I see-sawed back and forth last year. I hope we're there again this year. We'll definitely be in the mix," said Roberts. It's not a two-man cast, however, as Roberts quickly added that Nick Price, Mark O'Meara, Scott Hoch, Bernhard Langer and Jeff Sluman will all add a new depth to the Tour in 2007. It's been a good year for Roberts, as he comes off five top-10 finishes and heads into the tournament with a streak of 29 consecutive rounds of par-or-better on the line. The Champions Tour record, set by Larry Nelson in 2000, is 32 rounds. "Loren Roberts just seems to be there all the time. He's got to be reckoned with every week. Now we're out here in his home state," said Haas. And that's coming from the Champions Tour pro who knows a little about being consistent in 2007, having earned a tie for second in the Wendy's Champions Skins Game, a tie for fifth at the MasterCard Championship, a solo second at the Allianz Championship and a tie for second at the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am. "This year has been awfully good so far with two second-place finishes. I'm pretty confident when I go to the course. I feel like I'm ahead of the game from where I was last year," said Haas. He's tops for 2007 in hitting the green in regulation, ranks fifth in total driving and scoring average and 10th in the all-around ranking, but Haas has struggled lately with his putting. He currently sits 43rd in putts per round and 30th in putting average. "I feel like I'm doing a lot of things well," said Haas. "I wouldn't say I'm putting poorly but I'm burning a lot of edges. I'm very close." Roberts isn't one to struggle with his putter, one aspect that helped him edge Haas. The "Boss of the Moss" is ninth in putting average and in putts per round and second in scoring average, which helped boost him to No. 1 on the Champions Tour money list. The putting whiz is kid-in-a-candy-store excited about the challenging poa annua greens and the par-71 course this week. "I love when greens are firm and fast," Roberts said, a five-time winner on the Champions Tour. "I like any course that's not a par 72. No. 17 is a tough par 3. If you're in contention it will really make you think." If Roberts and Haas are the dueling foes in the Champions Tour soap opera this season, then it's Mark O'Meara who stars as the guy-next-door this week. O'Meara has plenty of experience finding his way around the Newport Beach Country Club course since he competed in his high school matches there. The 16-time PGA TOUR title holder won six times in his home state, including five AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Ams, and will make his first start as a member of the Champions Tour there. Another key player in the field is the Champions Tour's most decorated star, Hale Irwin, who headlines a field with 28 of the top 30 on last year's money list. Defending champion Brad Bryant, who earned his first win on the Champions Tour at the 2006 event, returns to try for another title. The tournament, which kicks off a two-event California swing, takes place Friday through Sunday. But unlike the O.C., the Toshiba Classic just wouldn't be the same as a rerun. The action and drama unfolding between Roberts and Haas is too hot to miss in primetime. |
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