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By Lauren Deason
PGATOUR.com Editorial Coordinator

Good thing players on the Champions Tour don't have triskaidekaphobia.

This week's Boeing Championship at Sandestin is one of the most popular events on Tour. It's played on the Robert Trent Jones, Jr.-crafted Raven Golf Club course at the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, a par-71, 6,904-yard masterpiece near the beautiful sandy beaches of the Florida Panhandle.

Will the numbers work in Bobby Wadkins' favor this week? (Chris Condon/PGA TOUR/WireImage)

Several Champions Tour players are making a family-and-fun beach week of it, with Nick Price bringing his kids, Jay Haas bringing his daughters and Loren Roberts taking the family to the tournament in Destin, Fla.

There's that 13-thing to contend with, though. It's the 13th tournament in a 29-tournament year. It's also the 13th annual Boeing Championship. Plus, Bobby Wadkins is set to defend his title, having won in 2006 with a score of 13-under par.

It's also the oldest tournament on the Champions Tour without a repeat winner, producing 12 different champions in its history, so Wadkins will have to overcome an unlucky streak to boot.

One Champions Tour player will get lucky at Sunday's end, however, earning a nifty $274,500 payday. Maybe it'll be unlucky-in-2007 Roberts, who's had more than his fair share of close calls without a win this season.

"Last year at this time, I had already won three times," said Roberts, who has two runner-up finishes in 2007 and placed in the top 5 four other times. "I'm not unhappy with this year, just in a sophomore swoon you might say."

With his family in town to relax him and serve as a "good distraction", this week Roberts could finally earn that elusive sixth Champions Tour win.

"We're taking advantage of the great area," said Roberts. "This is a really good golf course. You've got to step up and hit some shots. It's probably one of the top five we play."

Or perhaps the winner will be Price, who had the best finish of his young Champions Tour career -- he debuted on Tour in early February -- at the Senior PGA Championship last week. Price finished third there and feels like he is gaining momentum with each passing tournament.

"I'm playing more good golf than poor golf at the moment," said the rookie, who also knows with a new week comes a new venue. "There are severe slopes on this course. It takes some getting used to. You can't get it on the wrong side of the hole."

Plus, he will have to deal with another unfavorable factor -- the wind. It made for a tough tournament at the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island at the Senior PGA Championship and Mother Nature might cause problems again.

"I'm sick of the wind. I hope the wind lays down. Last week was a good week for sailing," Price said.

Haas, the Charles Schwab Cup points leader, is visiting the tournament for the first time and says, despite having what he calls an "up and down" year, he could earn his third victory of the season on a course nicely suited for his game.

"You have to be a good position from the first nine holes on Friday. You can't start with a 73 or 74. You have to play with your hair on fire," said Haas, who's 0-for-107 in the Sunshine State on both Tours, having never won in Florida.

"I'll still need to do the same things I do every week to win. If I don't do them, I won't. This is a ball-striker's course that plays into my hand."

If Haas doesn't watch out, Denis Watson could overtake him in Charles Schwab Cup points at the Boeing Championship if he notches a strong top-10 finish. Since each of the Champions Tour's five majors offers double the points, Watson propelled from 16th to second with his win at Kiawah Island and is just 120 points behind Haas in the season-long race with a $1-million annuity at year's end.

Having not won in nearly 23 years, Watson is soaking up the experience and the perks, including hearing from old friends and Champions Tour colleagues who were excited for him.

"It's been phenomenal. I've heard from lots of people I haven't heard from in quite a while," said Watson. "The Champions Tour is my chance to validate a lost career. It's an incredibly competitive Tour. You have to play good golf and guys are more about winning than just competing."

Two Tour notables will celebrate birthdays this week, with 2007 winner Hale Irwin not slowing down on Tour a notch despite turning 62 on Sunday of the tournament and Craig Stadler turning 54 the day before. Others in the field include Mark O'Meara, Brad Bryant, a newly-healed Peter Jacobsen and Dana Quigley, who's had Emerald Coast success as the 1998 winner at the Boeing Championship at Sandestin plus recently earned five straight top-15 finishes there.

Can Watson overtake Haas in points? Will Price earn his first Champions Tour win or will Roberts finally get a victory this season? Tune in to live scoring on PGATOUR.com as the tournament begins at 8 a.m. CT on Friday, with coverage on the GOLF CHANNEL starting at 6:30 p.m. ET.