Mar. 4, 2009
The PGA TOUR heads to the East Coast this week for the start of the Florida Swing and The Honda Classic. Here's how the PGATOUR.COM experts sized up the top contenders:
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SLEEPER PICKS How it works: Our 10 experts from PGATOUR.COM select any player who isn't ranked in the top 20 of the FedExCup rankings, the top 30 of the Official World Golf Rankings and hasn't won that season. By using a draft process, no two picks can be the same. EXPERT PICKS Who do our experts think will capture The Honda Classic title? Here's who they've picked to win. Click here
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| Sleeper picks: The Honda Classic |
T.J. Auclair |
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WEBB SIMPSON. This rookie was impressive straight out of the gate with two top-10 finishes to start his TOUR career. He's cooled a bit since, but I still like his game and expect that he'll get back on track during the Florida Swing. |
Win McMurry |
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STEVE MARINO. The former Palm Beach Gardens resident has settled into his new home in nearby Tequesta after missing three of his last four cuts. He had a top-25 here in '08 and a win would be an early birthday present for Marino. |
Brian Wacker |
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J.J. HENRY. Henry is riding the momentum of a second-place finish in Mexico last week and quietly has moved into the top 10 in scoring average on TOUR. He's also accurate with his irons and that'll play well on a course that rewards ballstriking over length.
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Mike McAllister |
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ROBERT ALLENBY. This Aussie obviously loves PGA National. He's finished T4 and T5 in the two years that it's been the host course. He didn't make it out of the first round last week in Arizona, but that loss was to the eventual fourth-place finisher (Ross Fisher). |
Ceri Mobley |
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BOO WEEKLEY. Florida boy Boo hasn't played much yet this year, but his worst finish was his tie for 17th last week. He's also recorded a top 10 and another top 25. In 2007, Boo lost in playoff here to Mark Wilson, so he knows how to handle this tough track. |
Helen Ross |
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MARK CALCAVECCHIA. He's playing in The Honda Classic for the 23rd straight year. He has won twice at two different courses, has two runner-up finishes and tied for fourth in '08. Calc loves Florida and is coming off ties for fourth and sixth in his last two starts. |
John Swantek |
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JOHN MERRICK. He tied for 15th last year at The Honda Classic and has a runner-up in 2009 at the 50th Bob Hope Classic. Maybe this is his week.
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Mark Spoor |
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JAMES NITTIES. He already has a pair of top-10 finishes this season, including a pretty consistent tie for sixth last week at the Mayakoba Golf Classic. The other? A tie for fourth at the FBR Open about a month ago.
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Ryan Smithson |
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MATT KUCHAR. He's 6-foot-4 and is one of the shortest hitters on the PGA TOUR because he swings only slightly faster than Brian Gay. He's having a huge year already, and it's about to get better. |
Lauren Deason |
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CHRIS STROUD. He has only missed one cut in six starts this season, which is a huge step in the right direction for a young gun who missed more cuts than he made in '08. He came close to winning at Pebble Beach, so Stroud seems to have found his stride. |
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LAST WEEK: Not only did T.J. Auclair pick Geoff Ogilvy to win the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship to move up in the separate expert picks standings, but he also earned over 100 FedExCup points with his sleeper pick of Sean O'Hair, who finished tied for fifth. Each week, we'll update the standings based on the FedExCup points accumulated by the players selected by our experts. Here's how it stands after Week 8:
| Standings after Week 8 |
| 1 |
Helen Ross Chief of Correspondents, PGATOUR.COM |
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1 |
1 |
1 |
508.25 |
| 2 |
Ryan Smithson Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM |
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1 |
1 |
2 |
469 |
| 3 |
Mark Spoor Coordinating Producer, PGATOUR.COM |
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- |
2 |
2 |
345.4 |
| 4 |
Lauren Deason Editorial Coordinator, PGATOUR.COM |
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2 |
4 |
337.5 |
| 5 |
Win McMurry Host, PGA TOUR Today |
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1 |
2 |
319.81 |
| 6 |
Mike McAllister Managing Editor, PGATOUR.COM |
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1 |
2 |
2 |
304.75 |
| 7 |
T.J. Auclair Interactive Producer, PGATOUR.COM |
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1 |
1 |
1 |
290.49 |
| 8 |
John Swantek Fantasy Insider, PGA TOUR Productions |
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- |
- |
3 |
252 |
| 9 |
Brian Wacker Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM |
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- |
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2 |
244.1 |
| 10 |
Ceri Mobley Associate Producer, PGATOUR.COM |
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1 |
2 |
237.75 |
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