Power Rankings: Regions Charity Classic

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

Keith Fergus is the defending champion at this week's $1.7 million Regions Charity Classic at RTJ Golf Trail at Ross Bridge in Birmingham.

Fergus fired back-to-back 66s for a 12-under-par total and was in control when the final round was called off last year because of unplayable conditions created by heavy rains. Fergus, a popular Texan, earned $255,000 and soared to No. 2 on the Champions Tour money list.

Ross Bridge is the newest of the courses on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail which winds through Alabama. It features the rolling terrain of Shannon Valley and meanders through indigenous landscape.

What sets apart Ross Bridge, a parkland style layout, is its length. From the tips, it measures 8,191 yards, which makes it one of the longest courses in the world. But that's not the length the Champions Tour will see. For the Regions Charity Classic, the length is listed at 7,473 yards. Ten holes play along the bank of two significant lakes connected by a signature waterfall dropping 80 feet between the ninth and 18th greens.

This week's Champions Tour Power Rankings:

Power Rankings: Regions Charity Classic

Rank Player   Comment Fred FUNK He proved at THE PLAYERS that the game is again ready to cause a stir on the Champions Tour. Funk found a driver he likes (272.5 yard average/73.2 percent fairways) and a putting stroke he likes even better after switching to a claw grip. Bernhard LANGER For the first time in eight events this year, he didn't break par in his last start at the new Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic. Langer is sixth in scoring average (68.70) and sixth in putting average (1.703). Corey PAVIN The U.S. Ryder Cup captain has been in the 60s in every round over the past three tournaments, with a best finish of second at Cap Cana behind Fred Couples. Pavin is 44-under-par over that stretch. Tom KITE He's been on a very nice run -- 4th at Outback, T15 at Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf and 3rd in Mississippi. Kite is hitting fairways -- he's 10th in driving accuracy at 78.57 percent -- and is 9th in putting average (1.72). Tom PERNICE Three straight top 10s when he ventures onto the Champions Tour and has posted 10 straight subpar rounds. He's third in Greens in Regulation (78.47 percent) and eighth in scoring average (68.73).