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Sleeper Picks: The Honda Classic
 
Feb. 28, 2007
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• Who will win? • Tournament Coverage • Play TOUR Fantasy Games
Which player could sneak up on the field in this weekend's Honda Classic? Our experts weigh in:

T.J. Auclair
PGATOUR.com Interactive Producer
Pick: Pat Perez
Playing in the Mayakoba Golf Classic in Cancun last week, Perez tied for 13th. Everything I see and read about Perez this year has an emphasis on his new attitude. This guy has a ton of game and in the past his temper probably had a significant impact on his inability to close out tournaments. Perez has matured incredibly. His talent, coupled with keeping his emotions in check will lead to his best season on TOUR thus far.
Brett Avery
The Fantasy Insider
Pick: Lucas Glover
He's stayed on the cusp of contention through four of his five starts, all between a tie for 13th (Bob Hope Chrysler Classic) and two ties for 33rd (Nissan Open and World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship). The final-round scoring average looks dismal (72.67, 122nd) but only because a wind-blown 80 in the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic outweighs a pair of 69s. If he keeps the driver in control (third in distance, 97th in fairways) he can contend here, too.
Lauren Deason
PGA TOUR.com Editorial Coordinator
Pick: Camilo Villegas
Villegas played well in the Florida Swing last year, with a tie for second at the 2006 Ford Championship at Doral, a tie for third at THE PLAYERS Championship and a tie for 31st at The Honda Classic. It's a good state for him, since the native of Columbia now resides in Gainesville after graduating from the University of Florida in 2004. While in school, the Gator was a four-time All-American, SEC Player of the Year in 2002 and 2004 and earned eight collegiate victories. With that impressive resume, maybe Villegas can channel positive vibes from college days and get his first PGA TOUR victory during the upcoming Florida events.
Melanie Hauser
PGATOUR.com Correspondent
Pick: Cameron Beckman
Hmm... Quite a few possibilities, including Craig Kanada, Boo Weekley and Cameron Beckman. Boo's been up and down, Kanada is working on iron-man status. We'll take Beckman by a tap-in.
Dave Lagarde
PGATOUR.com Contributor
Pick: Johnson Wagner
He's too good of a player not to get into the hunt on a Sunday. Why not this one?
John Maginnes
PGA TOUR Network on XM Radio analyst
Pick: Robert Gamez
My dark horse this week is Robert Gamez. I know he hasn't played well this year. But he is swinging at it better and he has a new looper on the bag. Robert has picked up Barry Williams who won the B.C. Open with John Rollins last year. A good swing key and a fresh set of eyes are all a PGA TOUR player needs to push him over the edge. He is a great driver of the ball and he is back in his adopted home state of Florida. Don't be surprised if The Honda Classic trophy ends up heading north on the Florida Turnpike on Sunday night.
Helen Ross
PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents
Pick: Brett Quigley
This is essentially a home game for Quigley, who has been knocking on the door of his first win for about a year now. He played well in a 2-and-1 loss to the No. 2 player in the world, Jim Furyk, last week in the first round of the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. Big things are on the horizon for Quigley -- his first Masters appearance and his first child -- so a win here would complete the hat trick.
Dave Shedloski
PGATOUR.com Senior Correspondent
Pick: Brett Quigley
First instincts are usually best, and the TOUR Insider isn't going to back off on giving Quigley better than an average shot at winning his first PGA TOUR title. He spends considerable time in the off-season playing golf with his uncle, Dana, in the Palm Beach area, and the Honda Classic has been kind to non-winners in recent years; three of the last five champs enjoyed a breakthrough here. Quigley still is searching for the kind of consistency that earned him a career-high 10 top-10 finishes in 2006 (he has none thus far in '07), but it only takes one week to bring all the pieces together.
Mike Vitti
PGATOUR.com ShotLink Analyst
Pick: John Senden
Senden is 5 for 5 in cuts made in 2007, but only has two top-25 finishes to show for his efforts. Ranking sixth in greens in regulation, it is only a matter of time before he is in contention on Sunday.

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 Accenture Match Play Championship & Mayakoba Golf Classic
PGATOUR.com Experts 1st 2nd 3rd Top 10s Missed Cuts Total FedExCup Points
Helen Ross 2 1 1 5 3 18,020.3
T.J. Auclair 1 1 2 4 1 13,455.2
Dave Lagarde 2 0 0 4 3 13,089.3
Melanie Hauser 2 0 0 3 3 12,257.3
John Maginnes 2 0 0 2 3 11,587.9
Dave Shedloski 1 0 1 4 3 10,185.7
Lauren Deason 1 0 1 4 3 9,147.3
Brett Avery 1 0 0 2 4 8,059.3
Mike Vitti 0 1 0 1 6 5,449.9

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