LAKEWAY, Texas -- Austin native Ben Crenshaw plans on being the perfect host during this week's FedEx Kinko's Classic.

Until the tournament starts.

He welcomed a group of his fellow players at his house earlier in the week and chatted about his hometown. But when play begins Friday on the 6,879-yard Hills Country Club course, he intends to be among the contenders for the $240,000 prize that goes to Sunday's winner.

Encouraged by an impressive Masters earlier this month, when rounds of 71-72 had him in the top 10 going to the weekend, Crenshaw would love to get his first Champions Tour victory close to home.

"I still feel like I can win out here," Crenshaw said. "It's just a matter of putting a few rounds together and getting some putts to fall in."

Crenshaw will have plenty of competition in trying to become the first home-state winner in the four-year history of the event.

Ben Crenshaw is still seeking his first Champions Tour victory. (Shamus/ WireImage)

Jay Haas, who won last year's Champions Tour event in San Antonio, is coming off a dominant five-shot victory in last week's Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf.

The 51-year-old Haas, Champions Tour rookie of the year in 2005, said his victory made him look forward to more Tour events after he missed the cut at the PGA TOUR event the week before. He plans to play on the regular TOUR again next month at the Bank of America Colonial in Fort Worth.

Defending FedEx Kinko's Classic champion Jim Thorpe is off to a slow start this year with just one top-10 finish, a tie for eighth in the first event of the season. Last year, Thorpe birdied his last four final holes to take a four-shot win over Dana Quigley, who is also in the field this week.

Leading money winner Loren Roberts, who won the first three tournaments of the year, will not be competing, but the rest of the top 10 on the money list will challenge the Jack Nicklaus-designed course.

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