Week 10 Power Rankings: CA Championship

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EDITOR'S NOTE: Officially, Mike Vitti is the Director of Research and Development in the TOUR's Marketing Department. Unofficially, he's a stats guru who analyzes all kinds of data from our ShotLink numbers.

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Mike Vitti discusses this week's Power Rankings in his weekly Talk of the TOUR segment on the PGA TOUR Network (XM 146, SIRIUS 209). Click to listen

Vitti will size up the field each week and provide his top 10 players going into the tournament, based on factors such as the player's strengths, the course setup, recent performances, etc. MORE POWER RANKINGS: Champions Tour | Nationwide Tour

In 2007, the host course for this week's World Golf Championships-CA Championship, the Doral Golf Resort and Spa, was the 16th toughest course on the PGA TOUR in terms of scoring average and played a full stroke over par for the week.

In 2008, the course was only 40th on the PGA TOUR in terms of difficulty and played almost a stroke below par. The course does not appear to favor a particular style of play, but with a seven-stroke difference in the winning score from 2007 to 2008, it is tough to say if the course will favor the "birdie machines" or "the grinders" in 2009.

The one constant the past two years has been the 467-yard finishing hole, which was the toughest finishing hole on TOUR in 2007 and the sixth toughest in 2008. Combining the scores from 2007 and 2008, the 18th hole at Doral has only yielded 44 birdies in 604 attempts -- a birdie rate of only 7 percent -- and over 40 percent of the attempts have resulted in scores over par.

Power Rankings: World Golf Championships-CA Championship

Rank Player   Comment Tiger WOODS Woods has never finished worse than ninth in the 18 stroke play World Golf Championships in which he has played and 12 of those starts have resulted in a victory. Geoff OGILVY The 2008 winner is one of two players who've been in the top three since the event moved to Doral in 2007. The other is, of course, Tiger Woods. Ogilvy is ranked second in putts per greens in regulation and first in birdie average. Vijay SINGH Singh has finished T11 and T2 at Doral in the last two years and has finished in the top 10 at the CA Championship in five of his eight starts. He enters this week ranked 10th in greens in regulation. Robert ALLENBY Coming off a top-five finish at The Honda Classic, Allenby was tied for third in greens in regulation, fourth in proximity to the hole and tied for 17th in both driving distance and driving accuracy. He finished tied for third at Doral in 2007. Sergio GARCIA The CA Championship has been Garcia's best World Golf Championships event over the years. It is the only one where he has finished in the top five, and he has done that four times, including a tie for third at Doral in 2007. Zach JOHNSON He has finished T9 the last two years at the CA Championship. He enters this week ranked fifth in greens in regulation and sixth in scoring average. He has placed 12th or better in three of his four stroke play starts in '09. Aaron BADDELEY Baddeley is the PGA TOUR leader in putts per greens in regulation and birdie or better conversion percentage. He has finished in the top 15 at Doral the last two seasons. Phil MICKELSON After a slow start, Mickelson now has his game going with a win and a tie for ninth in his last two starts. He would have been higher in the rankings, but he has never finished higher than 20th at this event. Dustin JOHNSON He's making his first start at Doral and only his second start in a World Golf Championships event. He has a win and three top 20s in seven starts in '09 and enters this week ranked 10th in driving distance and third in birdie average. Kenny PERRY He's finished in the top 10 in three of six starts in '09 and ranks eighth in greens in regulation and 13th in scoring average. He hasn't played this event since '05 and has never fared better than sixth at a World Golf Championships event.