Apr. 18, 2007 Who will win? Tournament Coverage Play TOUR Fantasy Games
Which player may surprise people in this weekend's Zurich Classic of New Orleans? Our experts weigh in:
T.J. Auclair
PGA TOUR.com Interactive Producer
Pick: Tim Petrovic
Sure, in 10 starts this season his best finish is a tie for 23rd at the FBR Open. In 70th place, he finished last among the players who made the cut at the Verizon Heritage last week, and missed the cut in the three tournaments he played before that. So, how could Petrovic be a threat this week? It's a comfort zone. The last time the Zurich Classic of New Orleans was played at TPC Louisiana was in 2005 and Petrovic won his first PGA TOUR event.
Brett Avery
The Fantasy Insider
Pick: Sean O'Hair
TFI had him on the short list for appearing here last week for the Verizon Heritage but ran out of slots after touting Davis Love III (tied 36th), Jim Furyk (missed cut) and Stephen Ames (tied 21st). That¹s excellent planning because O¹Hair popped for solo seventh after a pair of 14th. This guy tied for 14th in New Orleans two years ago, the first time the event was at TPC Louisiana (it shifted to English Turn GC last year to compensate for Katrina damage).
Lauren Deason
PGA TOUR.com Editorial Coordinator
Pick: Will MacKenzie
He started the year off well, tying for fourth in the Mercedes-Benz Championship and earning a tie for 18th at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. But he's missed four cuts since and has virtually fallen off the TOUR radar. Plus, he's in danger of losing his status as "Most Quotable TOUR Player" to last week's winner Boo Weekley. It's time for a reemergence of Willy Mack, though in his only TOUR outing at the TPC Louisiana he tied for 52nd in 2005.
Melanie Hauser
PGA TOUR.com Correspondant
Pick: Sean O'Hair
Lots of folks looking for magic here, including hometown boy Kelly Gibson and Blaine McCallister, who lost a heartbreaker here in 2000. But running the numbers leads to one tough choice. Ken Duke has three consecutive top-10s, including a tie for 10th last week. Sean O'Hair has a pair of T-14s and finished seventh last week. Both of them have a top-14 here in recent years. Coin flip to O'Hair.
Dave Lagarde
PGA TOUR.com Correspondant
Pick: Brandt Snedeker
He's coming off a solid showing in the Verizon Heritage and New Orleans is a stop that breeds first-time winners, including five in the last eight events.
John Maginnes
PGA TOUR.com Contributor
Pick: Chris DiMarco
Can Chris DiMarco really be a dark horse? It seems unlikely but the man who missed the playoff here a couple of years ago is looking to turn his year around. He has fallen out of the top 30 in the world rankings. He has missed his last two cuts. But the New Orleans atmosphere should suit Chris. When a player is struggling they tend to get a little up tight. New Orleans and fond memories of the last time the tournament was played here should be just thing to pull Chris out of his funk.
Helen Ross
PGA TOUR.com Chief of Correspondants
Pick: Daniel Chopra
He tied for ninth the last time the PGA TOUR visited the TPC Louisiana, and he's been playing well this year. Chopra has finished among the top 11 twice already this year and he's been among the top 28 on three other occasions. The cosmopolitan city of New Orleans would be an appropriate place for the nine-time winner around the world to grab his first TOUR victory.
Dave Shedloski
PGA TOUR.com Senior Correspondent
Pick: Steve Flesch
Steve Flesch isn't just a sleeper; he's been in total hibernation of late. A player of his caliber is bound to break out at some juncture, and Louisiana is the best bet for that to occur. Winner of the 2003 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, Flesch's run in the bayou includes a pair of seconds and a sixth-place effort. He also finished second at the 1998 Louisiana Open and tied for fifth at the '97 Shreveport Open on the Nationwide Tour. Only two of his last 17 rounds have been in the 60s and his best finish in 2007 is tied for 11th at Pebble Beach. Time for this lefty to right the ship.
| How they're doing |
| The 2007 record of PGA TOUR.com experts after last week's Verizon Heritage |
| PGATOUR.com Experts |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
Top 10s |
Missed Cuts |
Total FedExCup Points |
| Dave Shedloski |
3 |
2 |
1 |
7 |
6 |
27816.7 |
| Helen Ross |
3 |
1 |
1 |
7 |
5 |
25275.3 |
| T.J. Auclair |
2 |
3 |
2 |
8 |
6 |
24347.2 |
| Melanie Hauser |
3 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
12 |
19657.3 |
| John Maginnes |
3 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
8 |
19517.9 |
| Dave Lagarde |
2 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
8 |
16835.3 |
| Brett Avery |
2 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
6 |
16316.3 |
| Lauren Deason |
1 |
2 |
1 |
6 |
3 |
15210.3 |
|
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