May. 20, 2009
The TOUR heads to Dallas, Texas, this week for the second leg of a new three-week Texas Swing. Here's how the PGATOUR.COM experts sized up the top contenders at the HP Byron Nelson Championship:
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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 Ranking 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 HP Byron Nelson Championship title? Here's who they've picked to win. Click here |
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| Sleeper picks: HP Byron Nelson Championship |
Ceri Mobley |
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SCOTT VERPLANK. Fresh off a T24 in San Antonio, the '07 Byron Nelson champ is having a pretty solid -- consistent at least -- year, and this tournament means a lot to the Texan, so you should never count him out. |
Mark Spoor |
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ALEX CEJKA. His pattern lately has been "cut/top-15." He missed the cut last week, so he's clearly due for another top-15. At least, that's what I'm hoping for.
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Mike McAllister |
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JESPER PARNEVIK. No, he hasn't been a factor this year. But he likes this event -- he won in a playoff in 2000, and has three top-20 finishes since then, including a T13 last year. If he's going to appear on any leaderboard in '09, this should be the week.
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Brian Wacker |
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SHAUN MICHEEL. The former PGA Championship winner has finished in the top 25 each of the past two weeks and among those was a third-round 63. He's also posted a couple of top 20-finishes at the Byron Nelson. |
Helen Ross |
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BRINY BAIRD. Baird tied for 13th at Las Colinas a year ago, and he's in the midst of another solid season in 2009. Not only does he have four top-25s, but Baird also ranks second in greens in regulation and 27th in driving accuracy -- a potent combination. |
T.J. Auclair |
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ADAM SCOTT. Believe it or not, at No. 32 in the world the defending champ qualifies as a sleeper. Scott just hasn't been right since his win in 2008 and comes into the week having missed the cut in five straight starts. He's too talented to be in this kind of funk. |
Win McMurry |
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CARL PETTERSSON. He tied for fourth here last year and is due for a top finish as we head into the summer months.
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John Swantek |
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HUNTER MAHAN. Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup performances illustrate his penchant for delivering in big moments, but he needs to win again. Too much talent to have gone 48 starts since his title in Hartford.
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Lauren Deason |
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CHAD CAMPBELL. This native Texan is an avid Dallas Cowboys fan, so what better place to capture his fifth PGA TOUR title than Dallas? Plus, he's earned top-15 finishes in two of the last three years at the HP Byron Nelson. |
Ryan Smithson |
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BEN CRANE. He lives right up the road from TPC Four Seasons, and he plays difficult courses well. I am a little worried about his 7:15 a.m tee time. I hope he eats a good breakfast. |
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LAST WEEK: T.J. Auclair and Helen Ross both had players finish inside the top 20 at the Valero Texas Open. However, there really weren't enough points gained to see much movement. 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 18:
| Standings after Week 18 |
| 1 |
Helen Ross Chief of Correspondents, PGATOUR.COM |
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3 |
1 |
5 |
1,162.75 |
| 2 |
Brian Wacker Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM |
1 |
- |
1 |
2 |
962.4 |
| 3 |
Lauren Deason Editorial Coordinator, PGATOUR.COM |
1 |
- |
2 |
4 |
918.75 |
| 4 |
Ryan Smithson Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM |
- |
2 |
2 |
3 |
857.65 |
| 5 |
Mark Spoor Coordinating Producer, PGATOUR.COM |
- |
1 |
3 |
3 |
673.4 |
| 6 |
T.J. Auclair Interactive Producer, PGATOUR.COM |
- |
1 |
2 |
6 |
652.25 |
| 7 |
Mike McAllister Managing Editor, PGATOUR.COM |
- |
3 |
2 |
3 |
649.41 |
| 8 |
John Swantek Fantasy Insider, PGA TOUR Productions |
- |
1 |
- |
4 |
592.97 |
| 9 |
Win McMurry Host, PGA TOUR Today |
- |
- |
1 |
4 |
550.27 |
| 10 |
Ceri Mobley Associate Producer, PGATOUR.COM |
- |
- |
1 |
4 |
514.25 |
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