Power Rankings: Toshiba Classic

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March 11, 2013

By Vartan Kupelian, Champiions Tour Insider

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.

The Champions Tour makes a quick one-week trip to the West Coast for the Toshiba Classic.

Loren Roberts will defend the title he won last year on the strength of a final-round 69 at Newport Beach Country Club. Roberts, trailing by two strokes after 36 holes, reversed it to post a two-shot victory over Mark Calcavecchia, Bernhard Langer and Tom Kite. Roberts' winning stroke was a 5-foot birdie putt on the final hole.

Roberts got his round going in the right direction with birdies on three of the first four holes and held on.

The tournament record of 194 was set by Jay Haas in 2007. Nick Price (2011) and Tom Purtzer (2004) share the course record of 60. Newport Beach CC, a 6,591-yard par-71 layout, was originally designed by William Bell in 1952, with renovations from Harry Rainville (1973) and Ted Robinson (1985, 1998).

Here are this week’s Power Rankings for the Toshiba Classic:

Power Rankings: Toshiba Classic

Rank	Player		Comment
		Bernhard LANGER	There’s no point in debating Langer’s status as the man to beat every time he tees it up these days. Plus, he’s got that runner-up finish last year here and won the Toshiba Classic in 2008 in a playoff over Jay Haas.
		Tom PERNICE JR	He’s got a T2 and a T3 to show for his two starts. Surely, a victory can’t be far behind, can it? His performance stats are impressive, with plenty of top 10s, including a No. 2 in Putting Average (1.642).
		Fred COUPLES	He returns to the Champions Tour for his second event after finishing fourth in his only previous appearance in Hawaii. In three rounds, he’s tops in Driving Distance and Greens in Regulation. Won the Toshiba Classic in 2010 and T8 last year.
		John COOK	He’s second behind Langer in both the Charles Schwab Cup points list and Money List. That says plenty about where Cook’s game is at the moment. Season-opening win at Hualalai among his 3-for-3 top 10 finishes.
		Rocco MEDIATE	The rookie hasn’t wasted time making an impact. He’s third on the Charles Schwab Cup points list and the Money List after a victory at Allianz and T5 at ACE Group Classic. Putting has been exceptional and his Scoring Average, 67.83, is third best.