Expert picks: Viking Classic

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Editor's note: PGATOUR.com has tried to make our experts work a little harder when they make their picks each week. The favorite can be anyone in the field, although Tiger Woods could only be used seven times during the year. Sleepers can't have won in 2008 or had a top 10 in their last five starts. A sleeper can't be ranked in the top 30 in the field, either.

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T.J. Auclair
PGATOUR.COM Interactive Producer
Pick: Heath Slocum
Slocum won the Viking Classic in 2005 and played well there again last year with a tie for 13th. He has been playing some of his best golf in the 2008 season but still doesn't have a win to show for his efforts. With five top 10s for the year, I think this is the week Slocum breaks away from the pack to earn his third-career TOUR win.

Lauren Deason
PGATOUR.COM Editorial Coordinator
Pick: Jerry Kelly
Kelly has played at Annandale Golf Club six times in the past and finished inside the top 15 twice, including a tie for seventh at the event 10 years ago. He's had an inconsistent season in 2008, with three top-3 finishes but also 13 missed cuts in 26 events. The past few weeks have gone well for Kelly, who tied for ninth at the Wyndham Championship then qualified for the first three events in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. I just have a good feeling about Kelly and think he might win for the first time on the PGA TOUR since 2002.

Dave Lagarde
PGATOUR.COM Correspondent
Pick: Heath Slocum
He has done it once at Annandale. Victory No. 2 in the Magnolia State would turn a pedestrian season into a very solid one

John Maginnes
PGATOUR.COM Contributor
Pick: Jerry Kelly
It has been an odd year indeed for Jerry Kelly. One week he is fighting at the top of the leaderboard, and the next week he is slamming the trunk of his courtesy car on Friday afternoon. He has two runner-up finishes and eight top-25s. But he has missed 13 cuts in this topsey-turvy year. I like Jerry to have a great week on a golf course that should definitely suit his game. The other Jack Nicklaus course in the spotlight this week favors control and accurate short irons. That should be right up Jerome's alley.

Win McMurry
Host, PGA TOUR Today
Pick: Ken Duke
Duke is the only player in the field who is also teeing up next week at THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola. Don't bet on the Arkansas native to treat it as warm-up. Duke's in it to win it and he's been strong over the course of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. He finished tied for 12th at the Barclays, tied for 10th at the Deutsche Bank Championship, and tied for 33rd at the BMW Championship.

Scott Pianowski
The Fantasy Insider
Pick: Rory Sabbatini
While 2008 won't go down as his favorite year, I don't think he's that far from a breakthrough. Some early confidence on the greens would help.

Helen Ross
PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents
Pick: Martin Laird
I was impressed by his run-up to, and his run through, the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. The Scot -- who was nowhere near the Playoff picture most of the year -- tied for fourth in Reno and again in Greensboro to play his way in, then shared seventh at The Barclays. Laird, whose run ended at the BMW Championship, seems to have found his comfort zone, so he could be a factor in Mississippi, too.

Dave Shedloski
PGATOUR.COM Senior Correspondent
Pick: David Toms
We like his precision game at Annandale Golf Club, which tends to reward accuracy over aggression. He's due for a good week, too, and may be determined to show his game is still viable while missing the Ryder Cup after playing in the last three.

John Swantek
PGA TOUR Productions Fantasy Insider
Picks: Bo Van Pelt
I'm feeling a first time winner this week, and Van Pelt fits the profile in his 203rd PGA TOUR career start. Recent track history is strong with three straight top-10 finishes at Annandale. Motivation is high -- he is 113th on the money list -- to keep his PGA TOUR card for 2009. Opposite events are typically receptive to maiden victories, and Van Pelt has as much game as anyone in this field.