CIMB CLASSIC 2015 : POWER RANKINGS

• Ryan Moore will aim for his third consecutive title at Kuala Lumpur G&CC. (Stanley Chou/Getty Images)

If there's one certainty about this week's CIMB Classic, it's that a current PGA TOUR rookie won't win. After Emiliano Grillo and Smylie Kaufman emerged with titles in the first two events of the season, rookies will be shut out at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club's West Course. This is because no current rookies are in the field of 78.

But it doesn't mean that the champion may not eventually qualify as a rookie. If a non-member, who hasn't played more than seven times in a previous PGA TOUR season, wins, accepts membership and either totals 10 starts or finishes inside the top 125 in FedExCup points or earnings, he'll qualify for rookie eligibility. You can't rule this out, as a smattering of Asian Tour regulars are included in the field in this co-sanctioned event with that circuit. It's a dynamic not unfamiliar to some, given that Kuala Lumpur G&CC has hosted the Maybank Malaysian Open (co-sanctioned by the European Tour) annually since 2010, albeit earlier in the year (at some point from February through April).

If a non-member -- or anyone else for that matter -- breaks through this week, he'll need to go through two-time defending champion Ryan Moore. The course first hosted in 2013 and Moore is the only winner it's seen. On both occasions, Gary Woodland served as a runner-up, first in a playoff, and then as one of three T2s three strokes in arrears of Moore's 17-under 271 a year ago.

At just 6,985 yards, this week's test is the most difficult of the five par 72s under 7,000 yards on the PGA TOUR schedule. Not surprisingly, it still averaged a benign 71.299 a year ago. The quartet of par 5s at Kuala Lumpur G&CC ranked 11th-most challenging of all courses in 2014-15 at 4.79. The 18th hole was the seventh-hardest par 5 among 167 all season, holding its own at 5.019. The field need not worry about grinding out a cut, however, as there isn't one.

After ranking T25 in par-5 scoring in his first title here, Moore drifted to T39 on the par 5s last year. Instead, he co-led the field in both par-3 and par-4 scoring. He also checked up at T8 in greens in regulation and fourth in putts per GIR. Kuala Lumpur G&CC ranked 37th in both fairways and greens hit in 2014, but a defensive 12th in scrambling.

The region has been reeling after a severe drought of late, but rain is a certainty throughout the week. Hot and humid air will help fuel storms, especially in the afternoon. Conditions like these prompted preferred lies in all eight prior rounds of the tournament at Kuala Lumpur G&CC.

POWER RANKINGS: CIMB CLASSIC

RANK		PLAYER	COMMENT
1 Henrik Stenson CIMB debut. Kevin Na has nothing on the Swede, who went 2nd-2nd-T10-T2 in the FedExCup Playoffs. Five runner-up finishes in 2015.
2 Patrick Reed Third look at Kuala Lumpur G&CC. Already warm and his body clock is already adjusted. Shared third place at the UBS Hong Kong Open on Sunday.
3 Ryan Moore Co-led after 54 holes en route to both titles here. Interestingly, ranked outside the top 10 in bogey avoidance but led field in par breakers in both editions.
4 Kevin Na Opened season with a P2 and T2. Now looking to improve on a -- you guessed it -- T2 here last year. Concluded 2014-15 with four top 20s in last six starts.
5 Sergio Garcia Good timing after forgettable end to 2014-15. Chased T11 here in 2013 with T2 last year, leading field in scrambling and co-leading in par-4 scoring.
6 Gary Woodland The two-time runner-up here scored 14-under 274 on both occasions and ranked inside the top five in both GIR and par-4 scoring.
7 Justin Thomas The par-5 monster (second in par-5 scoring on TOUR last season) opened the season with a T3 at Silverado. Six top 20s in his last eight starts.
8 Branden Grace First appearance at the CIMB and making his PGA TOUR membership debut. Fifth to go 5-0-0 in The Presidents Cup. Elevated on U.S. soil in 2015.
9 Danny Lee First action since going 1-2-0 at Presidents Cup, but it was a goal achieved. T2 at East Lake before that. Five top 10s in last 10 starts. T13 here last year.
10 Hideki Matsuyama Took a week off after a T17 at Silverado. Five straight top 25s, but only one top 10 in last eight starts worldwide. T25 here in 2013; T21 last year.
11 Paul Casey Rested after a T5 at East Lake, his sixth top-5 of 2015. Ranked fifth in GIR, T10 in par-4 scoring and T13 in par-5 scoring in 2014-15.
12 Daniel Summerhays A T16 at the Shriners is the fifth top 20 in his last nine starts. Ranks T7 in par-4 scoring early on. Finished last season at T18 in the stat.
13 Anirban Lahiri The Asian Tour Order of Merit leader is making his PGA TOUR membership debut. Four top-seven finishes and a T16 in his last five starts worldwide.
14 Harris English Back at Kuala Lumpur G&CC for the first time since a T7 in 2013. Ranked T2 in GIR and T5 in par-4 scoring that week. Thirteen straight cuts made.
15 Rory Sabbatini Surged to a T25 at TPC Summerlin with a closing 66. Shared eighth place at last year's CIMB. Tied for 10th in par-4 scoring in 2014-15.