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Sleeper Picks: Arnold Palmer Inv. presented by Mastercard
 
Mar. 14, 2007
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Which player could sneak up on the field in this weekend's Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard? Our experts weigh in:

T.J. Auclair
PGATOUR.com Interactive Producer
Pick: Greg Owen
The poor guy fell on the silver sword given to the winner of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard in 2006. With a two-shot lead and two holes to play, the Englishman did the unthinkable and three-jacked from a mere 3 feet at No. 17 and then followed it up with a bogey on the last to beat himself and hand Rod Pampling the title. I'm hoping to see a Matt Gogel-type of story here. If you remember in 2000, Tiger Woods made up seven shots on Gogel at Pebble Beach with seven holes to play. Tiger played out of his mind. Gogel didnt give it away like Owen did at Bay Hill, but it had to be at least a little traumatizing. Either way, Gogel bounced back and won the tournament two years later for his lone TOUR win. It would be neat to see Owen bounce back and win this week.
Brett Avery
The Fantasy Insider
Pick: Darren Clarke
Yes, hes missed three of his last eight cuts worldwide, including his most recent start at the Singapore Masters, and lost in the first round of the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. And you are correct that he's only hit the top 20 once in that stretch (tied 20th, Dubai Desert Classic). But his last three outings at Bay Hill Club he's been third, tied eighth and tied sixth. So let's chalk it up to TFI having a sneaking suspicion about the time being opportune for Clarke to shake off the doldrums.
Lauren Deason
PGATOUR.com Editorial Coordinator
Pick: Brett Quigley
Quigley's the ultimate sleeper pick -- he's never won but is bound to one of these Sundays. The two-time Nationwide Tour winner had a career season on the PGA TOUR in 2006, finishing in the top-10 an impressive 10 times and was 20th on the money list. This year, Quigley has finished in the top 25 just twice and sits at 92nd on the FedExCup points list, but expect him to have a breakout week at Bay Hill.
Melanie Hauser
PGATOUR.com Correspondent
Pick: Kenny Perry
Young or old? Kenny Perry or Will MacKenzie? Tough call. Perry's coming back from an off year, MacKenzie is coming on strong. Yes, youth has been served at Bay Hill, but so has experience. Flipped a coin and it came up Kenny Perry.
Dave Lagarde
PGATOUR.com Contributor
Pick: Kenny Perry
Here's a sentimental pick for a champion who could not defend last year due to arthroscopic knee surgery. The course suits his game as his record suggests and he warmed up with a solid final round in Tampa. Perhaps he has a little momentum on his side.
John Maginnes
PGA TOUR Network on XM Radio analyst
Pick: Darren Clarke
I like Darren Clarke as my darkhorse. There has been a lot of discussion over the past year about who the next Euro to win a major will be. Padraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia and Luke Donald seem to be getting the majority of votes. I believe that Darren will be that man. What better place to start his best year on TOUR than by winning on a major championship-style course at Bay Hill. He is a wonderful driver of the ball. His competitive spirit is the stuff of Irish legend. Furthermore, I can't think of a more popular win in any locker room.
Helen Ross
PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents
Pick: Sergio Garcia
This one is a total hunch. Sergio has been erratic this year - finishing sixth at the Nissan Open in his 2007 PGA TOUR debut, but tying for 59th last week at the PODS Championship. He plays well at Bay Hill, though, with four top-10s in seven starts at Arnold Palmers tournament. Who knows? Maybe this will be the week the Spaniard gets things untracked.
Dave Shedloski
PGATOUR.com Senior Correspondent
Pick: Kenny Perry
A bum knee that required surgery kept him from defending his 2005 Bay Hill title -- and from posting a top-10 finish in '06, a first in his career -- but Perry might just be turning the corner. Perry, who has shot par or better on the Champion Course in his last 13 rounds, is coming off a tie for 19th place on a difficult layout at the PODS Championship. He hasn't had a top-10 finish since the Travelers Championship in Hartford, Conn., in 2005 but Perry, who has been 22nd or better in his last four starts in Orlando (including a T2 in 2003) might well return there by week's end.

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 PODS Championship
PGATOUR.com Experts 1st 2nd 3rd Top 10s Missed Cuts Total FedExCup Points
Helen Ross 2 1 1 5 4 18702.3
T.J. Auclair 1 2 2 6 2 16663.2
Dave Lagarde 2 0 0 4 5 13569.3
Melanie Hauser 2 0 0 3 6 12570.3
John Maginnes 2 0 0 2 5 11998.9
Lauren Deason 1 1 1 5 3 11557.3
Dave Shedloski 1 0 1 4 4 10560.7
Brett Avery 1 0 0 3 4 9580.3

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