2011 primer: Ranking the best in key categories

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The Champions Tour tees off the 2011 season next week in Hawaii with the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai, where Tom Watson will be the defending championship.

A week later, the Champions Skins Game will be held on Maui. Watson will again join Jack Nicklaus to defend the title.

Then it's on to the mainland for the Allianz Championship where Player of the Year Bernhard Langer launched his memorable 2010 campaign with a victory in Boca Raton.

With the new season just around the corner, here's a primer on the best of the best on the Champions Tour in key categories, and a listing of this year's Champions Tour major championship venues.

Iron men (Best iron players)

1. Bernhard Langer The best iron player on the Champions Tour. He's No. 1 statistically at 75 percent but the quantity of his GIR is surpassed by its quality. 2. Nick Price No. 2 in the rankings, proving once again his exceptional abilities. 3. Tom Lehman Transitioning from the PGA TOUR to the Champions, Lehman's ball-striking is just as solid as ever (and maybe better).

Short Game Wizards

1. Corey Pavin There is a direct correlation on the Champions Tour between the scrambling statistic and money list. But if you had to choose just one of the top guys to get it up-and-down for the cash, it's Pavin. 2. Bob Gilder Par or better 240 times last year after missing greens in '10. 3. Fred Couples Ranked No. 1. Known principally for his effortless swing and driving prowess, don't forget that the most memorable sequence of his career was an up-and-down to win the Masters.

Masters of the Greens

1. Loren Roberts Slipped a bit statistically to No. 8 but everybody knows how lethal he is with a putter in his hands. 2. Ben Crenshaw The putter remains simply an extension of his physical being. So smooth, so natural, so deadly. 3. Corey Pavin No. 2 statistically in '10 behind the unlikely No. 1 (Fred Couples), this man makes that old Bullseye putter work.

Mr. Sandman (Best bunker player)

1. Gary Hallberg No. 2 in the rankings at 62.67 percent but he did it with the wedge, not the putter. 2. Chien Soon Lu A rookie in 2010, he used his solid short game (and bunker play) to cash in at No. 17 on the Money List. 3. Gary Player The name and sand play are inexorably linked forever. Remarkable.

Distance King (Longest Driver)

1. Fred Couples It was a major component in his weapons arsenal as a rookie. Others knew they were at a disadvantage against Couples, especially on the par 5 holes. 2. Kenny Perry He's got the driver game to challenge Couples for superiority this year. 3. Eduardo Romero El Gato still smokes it.

In the Driver's Seat (Best Driver)

1. Nick Price For the second straight year, he topped the Champions Tour in the Total Driving category. That kind of consistency is impressive -- and lucrative. 2. Fred Funk His reputation as the straightest shooter is intact. 3. Russ Cochran The lefty relied on exceptional driving in his back-to-back victories in Korea and North Carolina.

No Sophomore Jinx for These Guys

1. Tommy Armour III Produced some splendid golf to finish second-best among rookies on the money list, behind only Fred Couples. 2. Peter Senior The Australian just keeps plodding along. He won the Australian PGA in December over Geoff Ogilvy. Quite an achievement. 3. Fred Couples Or is this a redundancy? Sure it is. He'll continue to be a dominant force.

Ready for a major championship breakthrough

1. Fred Couples Close twice as a rookie. It's only a matter of time, isn't it? 2. Corey Pavin It will be no surprise if his first Champions Tour victory is a major -- if he waits that long. 3. John Cook Ready to remedy the only omission on his Champions Tour resume.

Rookies to Watch

1. Kenny Perry Could be the Fred Couples of 2011 if he concentrates on the Champions Tour. 2. Steve Lowery When he gets on a roll, look out. He can be a birdie machine. T21 and T11 in his two Champions Tour starts last year. 3. Steve Pate Celebrates his 50th birthday May 26. Got ready for the Champions Tour by playing, and winning, the Bogota Open in Colombia, on the Nationwide Tour.

The Champions Tour Majors

Regions Tradition: May 5-8, Shoal Creek Defending champion: Fred Funk.

Senior PGA Championship: May 26-29, Valhalla Golf Club Defending champion: Tom Lehman.

The Senior Open Championship: July 21-24, Walton Heath GC, England Defending champion: Bernhard Langer.

U.S. Senior Open: July 28-31, Inverness Golf Club Defending champion: Bernhard Langer.

Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship: Aug. 18-21, Westchester Country Club Defending champion: Mark O'Meara.

Champions Tour Insider Vartan Kupelian is a freelance contributor for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.