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With the Champions Tour entering its final regular season event this week at the AT&T Championship in San Antonio, those on the bubble around the 30th place on the money list will be scrambling to make it into the field at next week's Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

The event takes place at the Sonoma Golf Club and begins on Tuesday, Oct. 27, with the youth clinic, followed by the Pro-Am on Wednesday, Oct. 28, and the four-day championship tourney runs from Thursday, Oct. 29, through Sunday, Nov. 1. John Cook enters the AT&T as the two-time defending champion and comes off an impressive win last week at the Administaff Small Business Classic in Houston. It seems that the former California resident has a soft spot for the state of Texas, as all three of his Champions Tour wins have come in that state.

Two big names, both named Tom, made moves last week to secure their spot at Sonoma next week. Champions Tour rookie Tom Lehman used a final round 68 to climb into a tie for fourth in Houston, moving him from the danger zone in 27th place to 20th on the money list, assuring him a spot in the field at Sonoma. The former Open Championship winner and PGA Tour player of the year will be making his first trip to Sonoma Golf Club, but not his first trip to Sonoma County.

Lehman, a Minnesota native, won at nearby Windsor Golf Club in 1991, when the Nationwide Tour was in its infancy and called the Ben Hogan Tour. That year he was the player of the year on that tour and went onto the PGA Tour the next year and never looked back. He almost exclusively plays a draw and should find Sonoma Golf Club to his liking; with his only win so far on the over-50 circuit being the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf with partner Bernhard Langer. Perhaps Lehman will make it two-for-two in wins in Sonoma County.

Despite a disappointing final round of 72 in Houston, Tom Watson tied for seventh and moved to 18th on the money list. The last month has been a good one for the 60-year-old Watson, but he has yet to win in 2009. The 2005 Champion at Sonoma, Watson will be coming to the Valley hungry for a win so that 2009 will be remembered for more than just his great run at the Open Championship, where he was poised to become the oldest major champion in history and win a record-tying sixth Open Championship before losing to Stewart Cink in a playoff. Despite his age, Watson is still one of the purest ball strikers in the world, and fans should not miss the opportunity to see this living legend roam the fairways and greens of Sonoma.

A third member of the Champions Tour named Tom will also be returning to the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

Texan Tom Kite sits at 19th on the money list and will be making his seventh consecutive start at Sonoma. The 59-year old Kite is well known for his work ethic and nowhere is that more prevalent than Sonoma, where he spends hours on the driving range with his caddy Sandy never too far away. One of the few players to have never missed the trip to Sonoma, Kite will be looking for the elusive win that he has been so close to in past years.

In 2004, Kite came to the 18th hole needing a birdie to tie Mark McNulty, but missed the green left with his approach and had to settle for par. Kite turns 60 next month, but don't let that make you think that he is going to slow down; he'll be looking toward 2010 and working toward qualifying for another season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

Mike Reid has two victories in his Champions Tour career, they just both happen to be Major Titles.

The straight hitting Reid, known by many as Radar, sits at 22nd on the money list, mainly due to his playoff win over Cook at this year's Jeld-Wen Tradition. A solid ballstriker, Reid forged a career out of hitting fairways and greens in a game that has transformed into the power-game for many. If the weather turns wet and the fairways get a little soggy, look for Reid to play well as his swing leads him to picking the ball off the turf, rather than digging and taking a divot.

Lefthanded rookie Russ Cochran used a tie for seventh last week in Houston to move up from 27th on the money list to 23rd, all but assuring his first trip to Sonoma.

Cochran had a successful PGA Tour career that saw him win the 1991 Western Open, but over the last few years he all but disappeared from the professional game. Despite only having conditional status at the start of the 2009 season, his consistent play has produced everything but a win and the rookie could cap off an amazing season with a win at Sonoma.

Heading into this week's final event, some big names still sit outside the top-30 and will be looking to play well enough to get into the field at Sonoma.

Rookie Hal Sutton looked to be a lock for the top-30 just a month ago, but some inconsistent play of late has him sitting at 32nd on the money list and on the outside looking in.

Joining him is South African Fulton Allem, at 33rd. Allem just missed out on last year's event, and will be looking to not avoid the same fate this year.

At 39th on the money list, three-time Charles Schwab Cup Championship winner at Sonoma, Jim Thorpe, needs at least a $100,000 check to make the field in Sonoma. It will be a top-three finish or bust for Thorpe, who missed the field last year and didn't have the chance to defend his title that he took home in 2003, 2006 and 2007.

A full-field list and a preview of the week's activities at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship will appear in Tuesday's, Oct. 27, Index-Tribune.

For ticket information, to volunteer for working the tourney or to sign up as a caddy for Wednesday's Pro-Am, visit the Charles Schwab Cup website at www.charlesschwabcupchampionship.com, or call

939-4131.

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