Power Rankings: SAS Championship

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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 five players going into the tournament, based on factors such as the player's strengths, the course setup, recent performances, etc.

Tom Pernice Jr., announced his arrival on the Champions Tour with a victory at last year's SAS Championship. He was the 15th player to win his debut and he did it in style, draining a 30-foot birdie putt on the final green for a 1-stroke victory over David Frost and Nick Price.

The closing birdie gave Pernice, twice a winner on the PGA TOUR, a final round 69 for a 13-under 203 at Prestonwood Country Club.

Pernice defends his title this week against a strong field which includes Bernhard Langer and Fred Couples. With six events left on the 2010 Champions Tour, Langer is closing in on his first Charles Schwab Cup.

Power Rankings: SAS Championship

Rank Player   Comment Bernhard LANGER Maintains a solid lead in the Charles Schwab Cup points list over Fred Couples despite an uncharacteristic finish at Songdo Championship. More post-season honors are his to claim this year barring something dramatic. Russ COCHRAN The victory in Korea was the first by a left-hander on the Champions Tour in 14 years, since Bob Charles won in Hawaii. It was a long time coming but with T6 finishes at Boeing Classic and Pebble Beach before the win, hes on a nice roll. Fred FUNK Three top eight finishes in four starts, including a victory at JELD-WEN Tradition and a playoff loss to Cochran. Hes finishing the campaign in a big way and is now third on the Charles Schwab Cup points list. Tom PERNICE JR. The defending champion has six straight top 10 finishes, including a runner-up at Pebble Beach and third in Korea. Has been between 5-under and 13-under (twice) in every tournament. Fred COUPLES Here's a remarkable statistic: Couples has finished outside of the top 5 only twice in 12 starts this year. Here is an unlikely stat: He hasnt won since March. Go figure.