Revisiting preseason predictions at halfway mark

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David Eger has been one of the major surprises of the 2011 Champions Tour season.

Mission: Select the top 10 golfers for the 2011 Champions Tour season ...before the first shot is struck.

Not an easy task, to be sure, but certainly it's a lot of fun trying to see into the future. It's just as interesting to look back at the mid-point of the season to see how we did, and maybe add a new twist to the list.

Here is how we had the top 10 golfers in January, how they've done to date, and the five players who would definitely be on the list now:

1. Bernhard Langer: Won in his third start of the season at The ACE Group Classic before going down with a thumb injury which required surgery on March 23. He played in four events before being sidelined. The three-time Player of the Year will have plenty of ground to make up when he returns.

2. Fred Couples: Hampered by his chronic back problems, Couples, a four-time winner as a rookie, hasn't found his bearings. His best finish is a T5 in defense of his title at the Toshiba Classic and he struggled to a T63 at the Regions Tradition. Needs to get healthy to come close to matching his rookie season.

3. Fred Funk: Only three top-10s in 10 starts, far below his standards. He's coming off a T3 at the Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn and qualified for this week's U.S. Open, both signs that the second half should be much better for the three-time Champions Tour major winner.

Lehman's to lose

Tom Lehman has a huge lead midway through the 2011 season:

Player Points Tom Lehman 1,494 Nick Price 899 Tom Watson 850 David Eger 705 Peter Senior 657

Complete standings

4. Kenny Perry: Projected as the top rookie for 2011, he's shown flashes. Perry has three top eight finishes and some terrific rounds, including a closing 10-under 62 last week at Rock Barn. If he's looking for a springboard to victory, a round like that could unlock the door to the winner's circle.

5. Corey Pavin: Highlight was a T3 at the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf where he teamed with Tom Lehman. Had a pair of subpar rounds on the weekend at the Senior PGA Championship to finish T8 at Valhalla Golf Club. Made the cut at THE PLAYERS Championship (T45) but needs a victory to galvanize his Champions Tour efforts.

6. Russ Cochran: Back-to-back winner in 2010, the left-hander contends regularly but is without a victory. He hasn't finished outside the top 12 in any events and has two fourth-place finishes and three third-place finishes. He's tops in scoring average at 67.89.

7. Nick Price: No. 2 on the Charles Schwab Cup points list, No. 2 on the Money List and a victory at the Toshiba Classic firmly position him as a contender for post-season honors. Ball-striking has been exceptional and his putting is vastly improved -- 1.703 putting average, third-best on the Champions Tour.

8. Tom Watson: Won the Senior PGA Championship at Valhalla to run his haul of Champions Tour majors to six, and total victories to 14. The victory made him the oldest winner of a major on the Champions Tour at age 61 years, 8 months, 25 days. Doesn't play as often as some, but always a threat when he tees it up.

9. Michael Allen: Outstanding statistics have translated into some low rounds but no victories. Six top 10s in nine starts, including a run of two T3s, a 4th and a T5 in a five-tournament stretch beginning in Newport Beach.

10. Mark Calcavecchia: He has put himself into position but failed to deliver down the stretch. The blame largely is on a misfiring driver. Was the 36- and 54-hole leader at the Regions Tradition at Shoal Creek before finishing T5. Finished bogey-bogey at The Principal Charity Classic and slipped to fifth. Played in the final group of The ACE Group Classic, fifth again.

The five golfers who weren't on the preseason top 10 list, but belong there now:

1. Tom Lehman: The three-time Champions Tour winner didn't make the original list because it wasn't clear whether he'd devote most of his time to the PGA TOUR or the Champions Tour. Now that he's essentially become a Champions Tour regular, he belongs at the head of the Class of '11. Won the first major, the Regions Tradition.

2. John Cook: A winner twice, in Hawaii and the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am, got him off to a roaring start. The victory in Tampa was his first ever in Florida and ended an 0-for-4 playoff record. No. 3 on the Money List, No. 7 on the Charles Schwab Cup points list.

3. David Eger: Comeback Player of the Year in the first half. Eger, recovered from a broken right ankle which curtailed his 2010 season, teamed with Mark McNulty to win the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf for his fourth Champions Tour title. Nearly won again a month later before losing a playoff to Tom Watson at the Senior PGA Championship. Eger has been outstanding.

4. Peter Senior: Narrowly missed winning the Regions Tradition while posting four subpar rounds before losing to Tom Lehman in a playoff. Then he finished T5 at the Senior PGA Championship. A streak of five straight top 10s have moved him to No. 5 on the Charles Schwab Cup points list.

5. Loren Roberts: He's turned it around after a slow start. In his last four, Roberts has three top 8 finishes, including both major championships. He was third at the Regions Tradition and T8 at the Senior PGA Championship and had a T5 last week at Rock Barn. Returns to next week's Dick's Sporting Goods Open as the defending champion.

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