Power Rankings: Viking Classic

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Three Fall Series events. Three sudden-death playoffs. And it doesn't look like this week will be any different. The Viking Classic has settled into its new spot in the Fall Series, and unlike last year, it isn't being contested opposite the Ryder Cup.

Two of the last three events at Annandale Golf Club have ended in a playoff, and the other -- 2007, when Chad Campbell won -- was decided by one stroke. The Frys.com Open showed that there is significant pressure on the players in the Fall Series even when victory is all but assured. Troy Matteson made only seven bogeys all week, but two of them came at the 71st and 72nd holes. Someone should have told him that his card was already safe for 2010.

This week's event has some added storylines. Rickie Fowler, who lost in that playoff to Matteson, will make his first Viking Classic start, needing a top-five finish this week to avoid q-school altogether. The Viking Classic has always had one of the smaller purses on TOUR, but its regional location attracts some of the top professionals who live in the non-Florida part of the South.

Power Rankings: Viking Classic

Rank Player   Comment Chad CAMPBELL Campbell didn't play last year because of the Ryder Cup, but he enters this event with eight consecutive rounds of 70 or better. This is the third Fall Series start in a row for Campbell, who shot 64-69 to win here by a stroke in 2007. David TOMS Toms is a regional attraction to Annandale -- he lives in Shreveport -- and he tied for eighth here last year. More importantly, he's winding down a huge year that has seen his Official World Golf Ranking jump from 113th to 32nd. Bill HAAS Haas has two consecutive top-fives at Annandale, and it shows that a big hitter can score here despite the fact that its pedestrian yardage of 7,199 yards negates length advantage. Haas, 63rd in money, has the luxury of playing without distractions. Brandt SNEDEKER Snedeker is another player with regional ties -- his brother Haymes played for Ole Miss -- and Annandale's birdie opportunities should appeal to him. Snedeker performs his best when the winning score is around 15 under. Rocco MEDIATE Mediate is fighting for his PGA TOUR card -- he's 141st in money -- but his accuracy off the tee should allow him to stay out of trouble and nail down a top-10 this week. He was solid last week in Scottsdale, tying for 13th. Troy MATTESON Last week's winner played in the Viking Classic last year and tied for 14th. In his last eight rounds, he has registered two 61s and a 62, and his driving accuracy of 60 percent isn't bad for someone who consistently hits it 320 off the tee. Tom PERNICE JR. Pernice, 50, has racked up $200,000 in his last two starts while gunning for dual membership in 2010. Stat I like: He hasn't made worse than bogey on a hole since the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open. Bonus: It wasn't even a double bogey. It was a quad. Michael SIM I'll be honest -- I didn't want to rank him just for the sake of ranking him since he's in the field, but he shot a 64 in the first round on his way to a runner-up finish last week in the Nationwide Tour Championship. Woody AUSTIN He has missed his last two cuts, but he tied for eighth here last year after breaking 70 in every round. Austin is one of those players who is unpredictable; he often follows a string of missed cuts with a pair of top-10 finishes. A victory wouldn't surprise anyone. Rickie FOWLER Anyone who watched the Frys.com Open had to be in awe of Fowler's swing, which consists of a violent slash that wraps flatly around his tiny frame at warp speed. His outta-nowhere, back-to-back top-10s have been the story so far of the Fall Series.