Power Rankings: Ensure Classic at Rock Barn

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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 five players going into the tournament, based on factors such as the player's strengths, the course setup, recent performances, etc.

There's a new title sponsor for this week's Champions Tour event at Rock Barn Golf & Spa in Conover, N.C.

The Ensure Classic at Rock Barn features Jay Haas as the defending champion. The tournament replaces the Greater Hickory Classic and has a purse of $1.75 million, with $262,500 to the winner.

Haas, who won the event for the first time in 2005, shot a final-round 7-under 65 on his way to a tournament record last year. His three-round 18-under 198 total broke the mark set by R.W. Eaks in 2007. Haas opened with a first-round 10-under 62.

Power Rankings: Ensure Classic at Rock Barn

Rank Player   Comment Russ COCHRAN He joins elite company by becoming the third golfer with back-to-back victories in 2010. The others: Bernhard Langer and Fred Couples. Cochran was runner-up at Rock Barn last year. Bernhard LANGER A T4 at the SAS Championship extended his dominating lead in the Charles Schwab Cup points list. His five victories, including two majors, tops the charts on the Champions Tour. Tom PERNICE JR. Runner-up finish to Cochran at SAS Championship was his seventh straight top 10, the most since Langer posted eight in a row at the end of 2009 and beginning of this year. Mark CALCAVECCHIA Knock, knock. Who's there? It's Calc, every week. One of these days, the door is going to open. He's third in All-Around Ranking, Driving Distance (294 yards) and Putting Average (1.702). Ted SCHULZ Followed his victory at Pebble Beach with a T4 at the SAS Championship. He's 16th in Total Driving and 18th in Greens in Regulation (71.35 percent), a very effective combination of ball-striking.