Week 28 Power Rankings: Miccosukee Championship

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Editor's note: Adam Wallace is a media assistant for the Nationwide Tour. Each week, Wallace will size up the field and provide his top five players going into the tournament, based on factors such as the player's strengths, the course setup, recent performances, etc.

The Nationwide Tour heads to Miami this week for the final full-field event of the season, the Miccosukee Championship. Since 2003, every winner of the Miccosukee Championship except D.J. Trahan (2004) went on to finish inside THE 25 and earn his PGA TOUR card.

The weather will be warm in Miami this week, and the forecast is calling for drama. For more than half the field it's their last Nationwide Tour event of the year. A lot of guys are still looking for their "Tin Cup" moment. Last year, D.A. Points holed a 125-yard wedge for eagle on the 72nd hole to force a playoff with Matt Bettencourt, who made a 15-foot birdie putt on the last hole. Points went on to win the playoff with a birdie on the first extra hole and move from No. 40 on the money list to No. 15.

Miccosukee Golf & Country Club was the 10Th (of 33) most difficult course on Tour in 2008. The par-71, 7,200-yard track is just as intimidating on paper as it is being 61st on the money list. There are seven par-4s over 440 yards and just one par-3 under 205 yards. With only three par-5s, and one of them not reachable in two, there aren't many scoring opportunities.

The massive yardages on the par-4s will cause the greens in regulation statistic to go down this week; only 54 percent (roughly 13 percent below normal) of the field in 2008 managed to find the putting surface in regulation.

Power Rankings: Miccosukee Championship

Rank Player   Comment Tom GILLIS Gillis leads the Tour in the par-4 birdie or better statistic. He also leads the Tour in scoring average. He has 10 top-25 finishes in 13 events (just one missed cut). Gillis has been an obvious pick all year, but it's hard to argue with his stats on the par-4s. Chad COLLINS Chad is second in scrambling on Tour, getting up and down 67 percent of the time. He has three runner-up finishes this year and has shot under par in 26 of his last 32 rounds. Won Joon LEE On a course with long par-4s, how can you not pick the Tour's longest hitter? He averages just over 314 yards off the tee. He currently sits at No. 73 on the money list. He's going to have to play well this week to get into the Nationwide Tour Championship at Daniel Island. Troy KELLY A month ago he was 201st on the money list, and today he finds himself 61st. Last week at the Chattanooga Classic he was second, the best finish of his career. Another good week would earn him a ticket to the Nationwide Tour Championship at Daniel Island. Vance VEAZEY After winning the first event -- Panama Digicel Championship -- Veazey has been grinding it out. It looks like he's found his form. Last week he had his first top-five (T3) since March. He's No. 21 on the money list. A solid finish would guarantee a 2010 PGA TOUR card.