Power Rankings: Montreal Championship

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.

John Cook won three times on the Champions Tour in 2011. Victory No. 3 came at the Montreal Championship where he blistered the course and the field with rounds of 63-66-66 to win by 3 shots.

Cook's tournament record 21-under-par 195 performance was impressive and dominating. His goal when the final round began was 20-under but after a solid start his target went lower.

Canadian Rod Spittle, from Niagara Falls, Ontario, tied for 7th on the strength of a final-round 62.

The Montreal Championship is moving this year to the Vercheres course at La Vallee du Richelieu Golf Club. It's a 6,950-yard, par 72 layout located 30 minutes from downtown Montreal in the town of Ste-Julie. The Vercheres course was originally designed by Bill Gordon in 1965 and underwent extensive renovations which were completed in 2008. The course has been host to the Canadian Open twice (1971 and 1973). It was also the site of a Skins Game in 1994 and the 1999 Canadian Senior Open.

Power Rankings: Montreal Championship

Rank Player   Comment Michael ALLEN Made the cut at the U.S. Open and continues to top the Champions Tour Money list (and is No. 3 on the Charles Schwab Cup points list). Allen has won twice this year and the question is how much did The Olympic Club take out of him? John COOK Posted a 3-shot victory last year in La Belle Province. He's fourth on both the Charles Schwab Cup points and Money List so few are having a better all-around year than Cook. Bill GLASSON Is this the week Glasson earns his first Champions Tour victory? He's coming off a strong T5 finish at the Regions Tradition where a return to a conventional-length putter paid dividends. A T4 last year at this event was his best on the Champions Tour until a T3 this year at the ACE Group Classic. The timing is right. Corey PAVIN Tied for fourth last year with Glasson and the new course should suit him nicely. He's first in Putting Average (1.708), second in Putts Per Round (28.36) and drives it in the fairway 76 percent of the time. Those numbers can handle any course. Rod SPITTLE The Canadian is back home and that's usually all he needs to put his best game forward. He's been building for something good and this is the week he can improve on his best finishes of 2012 twice hes been T9, at the ACE Group Classic and the Insperity Championship.

This week's Champions Tour Power Rankings for the Montreal Championship: