Week 6 Approach Shots: Cap Cana Championship

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A WHO'S WHO OF GOLF: This week's field includes 39 players, with 74 major victories either on the PGA TOUR or Champions Tour, led by Gary Player with 15 overall (nine PGA TOUR; six Champions Tour). Hale Irwin (three PGA TOUR; seven Champions Tour) owns 10 major titles. In addition, there are eight current World Golf Hall of Fame members entered -- Hale Irwin, Tom Kite, Bernhard Langer, Larry Nelson, Greg Norman, Gary Player, Nick Price and Curtis Strange.

Quick facts

WHAT: Sixth of 26 official Charles Schwab Cup events WHEN: March 27-29 WHERE: Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic COURSE: Punta Espada Golf Club WHAT'S AT STAKE: $2 million ($300,000 to the winner) TV: 12:30-2:30 p.m. ET Friday on GOLF CHANNEL; 1-4 p.m. ET Saturday-Sunday on GOLF CHANNEL KEY LINKS: Tee Times | Scores | Power Rankings | Tournament site

WELCOME TO PARADISE: More than 20 players who did not participate in last year's inaugural tournament are playing this week. That group includes Loren Roberts, Dan Forsman, Ken Green, Gil Morgan, Blaine McCallister, Gary Player, Greg Norman, Rick Rhoden, John Morse, Mark O'Meara, Robert Thompson, Gary Hallberg, Andy Bean, Mike McCullough, Tom Wargo, Lanny Wadkins, Steve Thomas, Ronnie Black and Victor Garcia (father of Sergio).

SHARK SIGHTING: World Golf Hall of Famer Greg Norman is playing in the event, and this will mark the first time he has played in a non-major event on the Champions Tour. He had made five previous starts on the Champions Tour, with his best effort a third place at the 2005 Senior British Open. He has finished in the top 10 in all five starts.

NOT YOUR AVERAGE JOEY: After opening 2009 with a tie for 21st at the Allianz Championship, Joey Sindelar has posted three consecutive top-10 finishes, including a tie for fourth in his most recent start at the AT&T Champions Classic. He tied for second the previous week at the Toshiba Classic and two weeks earlier tied for seventh at The ACE Group Classic. Sindelar made his Champions Tour debut at this event in 2008, tying for 61st.

FIVE-FOR-FIVE: After tying for eighth at the recent AT&T Champions Classic, Bernhard Langer is now five for five in top-10 finishes this year. Here is a rundown on Langer's other four starts: Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai (won), Allianz Championship (third), The ACE Group Classic (tied for third) and Toshiba Classic (tied for ninth). Of his 15 rounds, 11 have been under par.

PUNTA ESPADA: Punta Espada, the 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, incorporates the stunning natural beauty of Cap Cana, stretching along a coastline where golfers on each hole look into the blue expanse of the Caribbean Sea during rounds. The course's signature hole is No. 13, a spectacular 225-yard, par-3 that was featured on the cover of Nicklaus' 2007 calendar. It requires golfers to execute a challenging tee shot over the ocean into a picturesque green situated hard by the water of the Caribbean. Punta Espada is the first golf course in the Dominican Republic featuring 100 percent Seashore Paspalum, a salt-resistant grass that is becoming more popular in tropical climates. The Dominican Republic holds the distinction of having more golf courses than any other country in the Caribbean. Punta Espada was rated No. 77 among Golf Digest's Top 100 courses outside the United States in 2008. For more, see Inside the Course.

Weather forecast for the Cap Cana Championship

FRIDAY, Rd. 1 SATURDAY, Rd. 2 SUNDAY, Rd. 3 Partly cloudy Temp: 84 high/64 low Partly cloudy Temp: 85 high/65 low Partly cloudy Temp: 86 high/67 low

DTN/Meteorlogix is the official weather provider of the PGA TOUR. For more information, click here

Cap Cana Championship snippets

Working overtime: Dan Forsman's playoff victory at the AT&T Champions Classic meant all five official events on the Champions Tour in 2009 have been decided by a single stroke or in overtime. Baseball star: Rick Rhoden, a 16-year Major League veteran, will compete in the tournament through a sponsor's exemption. The winner of 151 games and a two-time All-Star (1976, '86), Rhoden has previously made 33 starts on the Champions Tour, including 15 in 2006. A tough layout: The Punta Espada Golf Club was the 11th-most difficult course in 2008. The field averaged 72.260 (+.260) for the week. Tournament winner Mark Wiebe was the only player in the 77-player field to post three consecutive rounds in the 60s at the 7,260-yard layout. PGA TOUR ties: The field includes several former winners of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, including Loren Roberts (1994-95), Hale Irwin (1976), Tom Kite (1989, 1992) Andy Bean (1981) and Dan Forsman (1986).