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CHAMPIONS - Ensure Classic at Rock Barn Preview
From The Sports Network
| DATES: Friday, October 1st through Sunday, October 3rd |
| SITE: Rock Barn Golf Club & Spa (Jones Course), Conover, North Carolina |
| COURSE ARCHITECT: Robert Trent Jones Jr (2002) |
| Hole-By-Hole: | 1 - Par 4 436 Yds | 10 - Par 4 431 Yds | |
| 2 - Par 4 476 Yds | 11 - Par 4 451 Yds | |
| 3 - Par 3 187 Yds | 12 - Par 4 375 Yds | |
| 4 - Par 5 568 Yds | 13 - Par 4 433 Yds | |
| 5 - Par 4 415 Yds | 14 - Par 5 573 Yds | |
| 6 - Par 4 451 Yds | 15 - Par 3 150 Yds | |
| 7 - Par 5 507 Yds | 16 - Par 4 389 Yds | |
| 8 - Par 4 335 Yds | 17 - Par 3 190 Yds | |
| 9 - Par 3 197 Yds | 18 - Par 5 526 Yds | |
| ------------- | ------------- | |
| 36 3,572 Yds | 36 3,518 Yds | |
| Annual: | 8th |
| Television: | Golf Channel - Friday/Sunday -- 2-4 p.m. (et) |
| Defending Champion: | Jay Haas |
| Runner-Up: | Russ Cochran, Andy Bean, Hal Sutton |
| Tournament Record: | 198 (Jay Haas, 2009) |
| 36-Hole Record: | 129 (R.W. Eaks, Tom Jenkins, 2008) |
| Course Record: | 61 (R.W. Eaks, 2008) |
| Total Purse: | $1,750,000 |
| Shares: | 1st Place - $262,500; 2nd Place - $154,000; 3rd Place - $126,000 |
| 2009 Finish |
| Player | Score | Player | Score |
| Jay Haas | 198 | Mark McNulty | 203 |
| Andy Bean | 200 | Jeff Sluman | 203 |
| Russ Cochran | 200 | Bob Tway | 203 |
| Nick Price | 201 | David Frost | 205 |
| Hal Sutton | 201 | Gene Jones | 205 |
| | Larry Nelson | 205 |
| Past Ensure Classic at Rock Barn Winners |
| Year | Winner (Score) -- Runners-Up |
| 2009 | Jay Haas (198) -- Andy Bean |
| 2008 | R.W. Eaks (200) -- Tom Jenkins, Tom Kite |
| 2007 | R.W. Eaks (199) -- Jay Haas, Rod Spittle |
| 2006 | *Andy Bean (201) -- R.W. Eaks |
| 2005 | Jay Haas (200) -- Dana Quigley |
| 2004 | Doug Tewell (202) -- Bruce Fleisher |
| 2003 | Craig Stadler (201) -- Larry Nelson |
| NOTE:Formerly called Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn (2003-09). |
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| Top Contenders in the Field |
| Player | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | | | |
| Jay Haas | --- | --- | Won | T-10 | T-2 | T-10 | Won | | | |
| Andy Bean | T-55 | T-25 | T-45 | Won | T-31 | T-25 | T-2 | | | |
| Russ Cochran | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-2 | | | |
| Nick Price | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-7 | T-25 | T-4 | | | |
| Hal Sutton | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-4 | | | |
| Bob Tway | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-6 | | | |
| Gene Jones | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-10 | T-9 | | | |
| Larry Nelson | 2nd | T-7 | T-55 | 9th | T-57 | T-18 | T-9 | | | |
| David Frost | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-9 | | | |
| Tom Jenkins | 4th | T-14 | T-59 | T-39 | T-31 | T-2 | T-12 | | | |
| Fred Funk | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-25 | T-10 | T-12 | | | |
| Dan Forsman | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-13 | T-12 | | | |
| Mark Wiebe | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-4 | 20th | | | |
| Brad Bryant | --- | --- | T-11 | T-10 | T-15 | T-18 | T-21 | | | |
| Bobby Wadkins | T-38 | T-5 | T-30 | wd | T-48 | T-64 | T-21 | | | |
| Tom Kite | T-7 | --- | --- | T-13 | T-48 | T-2 | T-31 | | | |
| D.A. Weibring | T-16 | T-17 | --- | --- | T-15 | T-25 | T-31 | | | |
| Bob Gilder | T-7 | --- | T-26 | T-13 | T-31 | T-7 | T-36 | | | |
| Chip Beck | --- | --- | --- | 3rd | T-48 | T-41 | T-36 | | | |
| Keith Fergus | --- | T-17 | T-21 | T-32 | T-7 | T-23 | T-46 | | | |
| Tom Purtzer | T-38 | --- | --- | T-5 | T-25 | T-53 | T-46 | | | |
| Fred Couples | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | | |
| Bernhard Langer | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | | |
| Sports Network Selections |
| Pick to Win - Russ Cochran |
| Darkhorse - Tom Jenkins |
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| Last Week's Pick to Win (Fred Couples) - Finished tied for 16th |
| Last Week's Darkhorse (Mark Calcavecchia) - Finished tied for 4th |
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| NOTES: |
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Only five events remain on the Champions Tour schedule, as players vie for
coveted off-season awards, including Player of the Year honors. Heading the
list for the POY award is Bernhard Langer, who leads the money list by
$317,280 over Fred Couples. Langer has captured five titles this year,
including the Senior British Open and U.S. Senior Open. Couples has won three
times in his rookie season. Langer leads Couples by 672 points in the race for
the Charles Schwab Cup. Both players are in the field this week. The purse
increased $50,000 from last year to $1.75 million, with the winner receiving
$262,500.
Last year, Jay Haas birdied five of his last six holes and fired a seven-under
65 in the final round to win this event for the second time. Haas' late rally
gave him a two-shot victory over Andy Bean and Russ Cochran -- his first win
of the season and the 13th of his Champions Tour career. He also won this
event in 2005. Haas' total of 198 last year broke the tournament record set by
R.W. Eaks in 2007 (199). Haas fired rounds of 62-71-65 and held at least a
share of the lead after every round.
In 2008, Eaks fired a course-record 61 in the first round and went on to
successfully defend his title. He finished at 16-under 200 and won the title
by four shots over Tom Kite and Tom Jenkins.
Eaks fired rounds of 63-66-70 to hold off a charge by Haas to win in 2007.
Eaks went wire-to-wire for the win, squeezing three rounds of golf into just
two days after the first round was rained out on Friday. He finished at
17-under 199 for a two-shot win over Haas.
In 2006, Andy Bean birdied the first playoff hole to defeat Eaks and earn his
first Champions Tour victory. Bean, who went wire-to-wire for the victory,
withstood a late charge from Eaks, who birdied six of his last seven holes in
regulation and forced Bean to birdie the last to force the sudden-death
playoff. The victory was Bean's first professional win since the 1987 Kapalua
International on the PGA Tour.
Haas picked up his maiden Champions Tour title in 2005 with a two-stroke
victory. Haas fired a seven-under 65 in the final round to end the tournament
at 16-under-par 200, two strokes better than second-round leader Dana Quigley,
who shot a 70 in his final round. It was Haas' first victory since the 1993
H.E.B. Texas Open on the PGA Tour.
Haas and Eaks have dominated this event the past several seasons winning four
of the past five years. Only Andy Bean's win in 2006 spoiled the streak.
The Champions Tour travels to Maryland next week for the final major
championship of the golf season, the Constellation Energy Senior Players
Championship. Haas will defend his title at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm.
09/28 14:13:47 ET
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As of September 28, 2010, at 02:13 PM ET
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