Week 12 Power Rankings: Triton Financial Classic

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Editor's note: Vartan Kupelian is the Champions Tour Insider and a PGATOUR.COM Contributor. Each week, Kupelian will size up the field and provide his top 5 players going into the tournament, based on factors such as the player's strengths, the course setup, recent performances, etc. MORE POWER RANKINGS: PGA TOUR | Nationwide Tour

Triton Financial is taking the reins as the new title sponsor of this week's Champions Tour event in Austin. The question remains: Will somebody take the reins away from defending champion Denis Watson?

The Triton Financial Classic will continue to be played at The Hills Country Club where Zimbabwean Watson outdueled countryman Nick Price last year.

A third Zimbabwean, Mark McNulty, will be aiming for back-to-back wins. McNulty won a four-hole playoff at the Principal Charity Classic against Fred Funk and Price last week.

Here's a look at the Power Rankings for this week's event:

Power Rankings: Triton Financial Classic

Rank Player   Comment Bernhard LANGER After a week off, he's back to build on his leading status in the Charles Schwab Cup points list and money list. He's won twice this year and has been statistically dominant. He's No. 1 in scoring average at 69.26, nearly a half-stroke better than No. 2. Tom KITE This University of Texas alum has ties to the Austin area and is coming off two strong weeks where he tied for 14th at the Senior PGA and tied for sixth at the Principal Charity Classic. He was also runner-up at this event in 2006. Loren ROBERTS Finished fifth last year, two shots behind Denis Watson, and past success is always a good indicator. Add to that the fact that he's enjoying a stellar year -- third in Charles Schwab Cup points and second in money. He's in contention every week. Joey SINDELAR Another golfer whose name appears on the leaderboard regularly, as his No. 2 position in scoring average would suggest. He's also No. 2 in the all-around stats category, fourth in money and seventh in Schwab Cup points. It all adds up to a very nice campaign. Mark MCNULTY On solid form thanks to a recent session with swing guru David Leadbetter and coming off last week's win, look out for McNulty, who has soared to No. 7 on the money list. He's got a hot putter and is eighth on Tour with a putting average of 29.12 a round.