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| Jan. 31, 2007• Who are the sleepers? • Tournament Coverage • Play Official TOUR Fantasy Games
Which player will take the honors in this weekend's FBR? Our experts weigh in:
| T.J. Auclair |
| PGATOUR.com Interactive Producer |
| Pick: Geoff Ogilvy |
| If history means anything, I should know better than to pick Geoff Ogilvy to win the FBR Open this week. History says that in five starts at the FBR Open, Ogilvy has missed the cut twice and his best finish was a tie for 20th last year. I say that history is history. Since the 2006 stop in Phoenix, Ogilvy has exploded into one of the biggest stars on TOUR picking up wins at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, as well as his first major, the U.S. Open. |
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| Brett Avery |
| The Fantasy Insider |
| Pick: Phil Mickelson |
| One of those "gotta take" selections, if only because he cant keep playing at such a mediocre pace, especially in his adopted college hometown. The 1996 and 2005 champ has a 69.42 scoring average at the TPC Scottsdale, which is two shots better than what he's put up in two anemic starts this year. With the world's No. 1 player elsewhere, it's time to kick it into gear. |
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| Lauren Deason |
| PGA TOUR.com Editorial Coordinator |
| Pick: Charles Howell III |
| Howell III, the current FedExCup points leader, tied for second at the Sony Open in Hawaii and finished second last week at the Buick Invitational. Plus, in five previous tries at the FBR Open, Howell has not missed the cut. His only PGA TOUR win came at the 2002 Michelob Championship at Kingsmill, but Howell is playing so well this year that a second victory seems inevitable. |
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| Melanie Hauser |
| PGATOUR.com Correspondent |
| Pick: Charles Howell III |
| Vijay has been shutting down the range, as always, but this week, you have to look at the FedExCup leader. He let it slip away at the Sony Open in Hawaii, had it grabbed away by you-know-who last week. He's turned tears of frustration last August into one of the best games on TOUR right now... so... tough to pick against him. |
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| Dave Lagarde |
| PGATOUR.com Contributor |
| Pick: Vijay Singh |
| He hasn't been outside the top 20 in the last five years with a win in 2003 at 23 under. He obviously likes the track and will be looking to make amends for a dismal showing at the Buick Invitational. |
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| John Maginnes |
| PGA TOUR Network on XM Radio analyst |
| Pick: Bubba Watson |
| It has become a joke. My "expert picks" have become so bad that I get e-mail from people I don't know very well to let me know that my pick did not have a good week. So I am going to focus all the powers of intuition on the FBR Open, and Bubba Watson is my pick for the week. No, he is not my dark horse -- he is the man. The TPC Scottsdale requires length, and lots of it. Bubba has that in spades -- or should I say pink hearts? He is coming off a good week in San Diego and I believe he is ready to breakthrough. |
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| Helen Ross |
| PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents |
| Pick: Charles Howell III |
| He's finished second twice already in just three starts, and Howell was particularly confident and composed in last week's challenge of Tiger Woods. His return to David Leadbetter and the commitment to working on his short game is sure to pay dividends soon. Not to mention, he has the length to challenge the TPC Scottsdale. |
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| Dave Shedloski |
| PGATOUR.com Senior Correspondent |
| Pick: Mark Calcavecchia |
| The three-time champion has played impressively the last two weeks with top-10s in some difficult conditions and on stiff tracks. Now he comes home to a place he is comfortable and where he once shot 256, a 72-hole record since eclipsed by Tommy Armour III. The signs point to a big week for the 12-time TOUR winner. |
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| Mike Vitti |
| PGATOUR.com ShotLink Analyst |
| Pick: Lucas Glover |
| Going low is important at the FBR Open and Glover comes in averaging 4.86 birdies per round and ranks third in par breaker percentage. Glover's power from the tee will allow him to be aggressive at TPC Scottsdale. He currently ranks 16th in driving distance on all drives and is seventh in percentage of drives over 300 yards. |
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Wondering how our experts are doing so far this season? Here's a look:
| How they're doing |
| The 2007 record of PGA TOUR.com experts after last week's Buick Invitational |
| PGATOUR.com Experts |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
Top 10s |
Missed Cuts |
Total FedExCup Points |
| Helen Ross |
2 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
10899 |
| Melanie Hauser |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
10783 |
| T.J. Auclair |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
9567 |
| John Maginnes |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
9393 |
| Lauren Deason |
1 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
7470 |
| Brett Avery |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
5912 |
| Dave Shedloski |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
5856 |
| Dave Lagarde |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
5661 |
| Mike Vitti |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
3585 |
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