Insider: A strong rookie class visits a rookie-winner haven

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In his Champions Tour debut in Houston, Kenny Perry discovered the three-round format is akin to "a track meet."

It's good to be a Champions Tour rookie at the AT&T Championship.

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Oak Hills Country Club in San Antonio has provided the backdrop for an uncanny series of triumphs by newcomers, a fact that won't be lost this week on Corey Pavin, Kenny Perry, Steve Lowery and a handful of others.

Champions Tour players are quick studies. They know history and they grasp opportunity. Those are traits which have helped get them this far and both have applications this week.

The AT&T Championship has been a breeding ground for rookie winners on the Champions Tour. Until the string was broken last year by Phil Blackmar, the AT&T Championship was won six straight times by rookies and nine overall since 1986.

In fact, John Cook achieved a rare double dose of the feat in 2007 and 2008. Cook was technically still a rookie in 2008 because he had played only twice on the Champions Tour the previous year, which included his initial victory at Oak Hills.

The other rookie winners in San Antonio: Bruce Crampton, 1986; David Graham, 1997; Doug Tewell, 2000; Craig Stadler, 2003; Mark McNulty, 2004; Jay Haas, 2005 and Fred Funk, 2006.

One rookie who won't be a factor in San Antonio is Fred Couples, the leader of the rookie class of 2010. Couples posted his fourth victory of the year last week in Houston -- only Bernhard Langer, with five, has more. But Couples is taking the week off before the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

Perry, whose arrival has been much anticipated, tied for 35th at the Administaff Small Business Classic in Houston. After an opening 78, he posted 69-70, and described his debut as "fighting, fun" if not completely in sync.

"It's just I'm not very sharp," Perry said. "I hit a lot of loose shots. I'm plodding along. Hopefully San Antonio will go a little better. Then I get off until Christmas and hopefully I start off better at the beginning of the year."

The Champions Tour's 54-hole format for most tournaments requires a thoroughbred's speed out of the gate.

"It's kind of like a track meet out here," Perry said. "I've got to get my mind set more of making birdies quicker. On the PGA TOUR, I can kind of plod along and kind of get into position in the first two rounds, and have two more rounds. Here it's a lot more fast-paced, and I have to really pay attention. You have to make birdies to cash in."

In Houston, Langer's start proved the point. He opened with 79 before closing fast (68-66) but there simply weren't enough furlongs left for him to chase down the leaders.

"It was over after the first day," Langer said. "Such a bad day.

"I actually played extremely well the first five holes. But I missed some putts, made a couple of bogies, and then started forcing it."

Langer is golf's methodical man. He simply doesn't hit shots until he's totally in tune with what he wants to have happen.

"Just didn't play my normal game," he said. "I was just trying to force the issue and make something happen."

Lowery, who like Perry made his debut last week, already appreciates how that can happen on the Champions Tour.

"It's definitely a quicker tournament, you have to be ready to play," said Lowery, who shot 75-67-72 to finish T21. "You have to be ready to play on the first hole. It may not seem like it should make much of a difference, but I think it does. You can't have that one bad day."

The other storyline in San Antonio is the battle of the bubble among those players marginally inside the top 30, trying to hold on to their spot, and those just outside trying to get into next week's Charles Schwab Cup Championship. The numbers are being crunched this week, the possibilities studied and the odds calculated.

Mark Wiebe is No. 30 after a solid showing at the Administaff Small Business Classic, where his second-place finish catapulted him from the 40th spot. Just ahead of Wiebe are Brad Bryant (29th), David Peoples (28th), Joe Ozaki (27th) and Jay Haas (26th).

Just shy of the 30th spot are Ted Schulz, Keith Fergus, Bob Tway, Mike Goodes and Hal Sutton.

"That was my goal, to get back in the top 30, so I have another week that I have to play good to stay in the top 30," Wiebe said. "I'll be anxious to look at it to see the gaps, and see how far ahead I am of 31 and how far behind 29 I am. I'm going to have to play good next week too, but I am very happy."

Wiebe is $7,665 ahead of Schulz and a mere $254 behind Bryant.

Too close to call, and that means Wiebe's focus ultimately will be on one thing.

"I'm just going to go play golf," he said. "That's the only thing I know how to do that's kind of good sometimes. I'm just going to go in and play golf, and hopefully it adds up low."