Expert picks: THE TOUR Championship

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Sep. 23, 2009

The fourth and final leg of the 2009 PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup takes place this week at East Lake Golf Club. Here's how the PGATOUR.COM experts sized up the top contenders:

EXPERT PICKS
How it works: Our 10 experts from PGATOUR.COM select the player they think will win this week's event. By using a draft process, no two picks can be the same.

Expert picks: THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola

Expert	Pick order	Player selected
Brian Wacker			TIGER WOODS. With a week off, Woods should be rested and ready. He's won this event twice and finished second three times. With the FedExCup within sight, there's no reason he shouldn't win it again.

Ryan Smithson			JIM FURYK. I have TFPAT (the first pick after Tiger), which is the toughest pick. For East Lake, it's either Furyk or Zach Johnson, and Furyk is a safer pick. I am trying to secure second in the standings.
If Smithson had the top pick ... Woods
T.J. Auclair			PADRAIG HARRINGTON. It's been a tale of two Padraigs this season. First it was the incredibly slow start, and now it's five top-10 finishes in his last five starts. Paddy is ready to win again.
If Auclair had the top pick ...Woods
John Swantek			ZACH JOHNSON. I love the trend of his playoff finishes from New York to Boston to Chicago; 28th, 19th, fifth. Now, he heads to Atlanta, where he scorched East Lake with a Saturday 60 in 2007, finishing runner-up.
If Swantek had the top pick ... Woods
Mike McAllister			STEVE STRICKER. He disappeared at Cog Hill but already made his statement at TPC Boston. Unlike the first four picks, Stricker has never won a major. Here's his chance to reach his personal pinnacle.
If McAllister had the top pick ... Woods
Helen Ross			SEAN O'HAIR. I like the way he's played the last two weeks in the Playoffs. He's a cumulative 23 under, tied for eighth at the Deutsche Bank Championship and finished solo fourth at the BMW Championship.
If Ross had the top pick ... Woods
Mark Spoor			PHIL MICKELSON. It's hard to imagine that picking Phil Mickelson would be going out on a limb, but it feels that way. Lefty has three top-fives in his past five appearances at East Lake, including a win in 2000.
If Spoor had the top pick ... Woods
Ceri Mobley			MARC LEISHMAN. Someone has to do it. Wacker has a stranglehold on the lead, so I'm taking a risk. He has been sensational in the Playoffs, and a win would lock up Rookie of the Year. Plus, this week marks one year since his 11-stroke win on the Nationwide Tour.
If Mobley had the top pick ... Woods
Lauren Deason			HUNTER MAHAN. Shockingly, Mahan, one of the TOUR's hottest young players, hasn't won since '07. He's finished in the top 10 six times this year, though, including three top-fives in his last eight starts.
If Deason had the top pick ... Woods
Win McMurry			RETIEF GOOSEN. He has the best average in THE TOUR Championship of the entire field with top-10s in all five of his starts. Goosen enters with five top-10s in 2009 -- his most recent a T8 in Boston.
If McMurry had the top pick ... Woods

LAST WEEK: Brian Wacker boosted his lead in the standings when his pick, Tiger Woods, won the BMW Championship:

Standings after Week 36

Pos.	Expert	Wins	Top 5s	Top 10s	Top 25s	FedExCup points
1	Brian Wacker Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM	3	3	7	1	7,755.92
2	Ceri Mobley Associate Producer, PGATOUR.COM	4	6	2	9	4,327.03
3	Win McMurry Host, PGA TOUR Today	3	7	7	10	4,273.27
4	Ryan Smithson Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM	-	8	4	4	4,247.12
5	Mike McAllister Managing Editor, PGATOUR.COM	3	4	5	10	3,934.16
6	Helen Ross Chief of Correspondents, PGATOUR.COM	3	7	4	7	3,812.29
7	John Swantek Fantasy Insider, PGA TOUR Productions	-	5	2	10	3,315.00
8	Mark Spoor Coordinating Producer, PGATOUR.COM	2	4	1	5	2,846.00
9	T.J. Auclair Interactive Producer, PGATOUR.COM	1	4	-	8	2,486.24
10	Lauren Deason Editorial Coordinator, PGATOUR.COM	-	5	4	7	2,404.25