Power Rankings: Chitimacha Louisiana Open

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March 18, 2013

By Jeff Shain, PGATOUR.COM contributor

After a one-week break that followed its Latin America kickoff, the Web.com Tour makes its annual visit to Cajun Country at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open. This year marks its 22nd edition, and it has been the Tour's first stop on U.S. soil since 2004.

Casey Wittenberg set tournament records last year with an eight-shot romp and four-day total of 24-under 260. The Memphis native carded just two bogeys on the week at Le Triomphe Country Club, and went bogey-free for his final 48 holes.

Wittenberg not surprisingly wound up capturing last year's money title and won't be around to defend his crown. Four of the previous five champions, though, are back at Le Triomphe.

The field also features a handful of PGA TOUR mainstays whose priority numbers weren’t enough to get into the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard. Chris DiMarco makes his first Web.com Tour start since 1997; others include Billy Mayfair, Joe Ogilvie and John Daly.

Only three courses on the Web.com Tour played easier than Le Triomphe a year ago, when the par-71 layout yielded a 69.525 scoring average. No course that hosted a full-field event gave up fewer bogeys (908).

Power Rankings: Chitimacha Louisiana Open

Rank	Player		Comment
		Edward LOAR	The lanky Texan has momentum after two good outings in Latin America, most recently a runner-up finish in Chile. With 44 birdies and three eagles in 10 rounds, he ranks 12th on the Web.com Tour in par breakers.
		Bubba DICKERSON	The 2009 champion is making his first start of the year, but clearly has good vibes in Cajun country. He also placed third two years ago, meaning Le Triomphe has accounted for half of his top-3 finishes at this level.
		Darron STILES	The North Carolina pro is stepping back this week from PGA TOUR battles. Though he hasn’t won at Le Triomphe, he was fifth last year and ninth in 2009. Stiles is three weeks removed from a T13 at the Honda Classic.
		Hank KUEHNE	Two years ago, Brett Wetterich found some old magic at Le Triomphe after five years of shoulder woes. Maybe lightning can strike again with Kuehne, making a comeback after sitting out the better part of a decade with a balky back.
		Blayne BARBER	You might remember this Monday qualifier as the man who gave himself a late DQ after first-stage PGA TOUR qualifying after learning he’d mispenalized himself. Since then, he’s won two minitour events and twice made cuts on the PGA TOUR stage.