Expert Picks: Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun
 
Feb. 21, 2007

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Which player will take the honors in this weekend's Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun? Our experts weigh in:

T.J. Auclair
PGATOUR.com Interactive Producer
Pick: Pat Perez
After a horrid 75 in the third round of last week's Nissan Open, it would have been easy to think the formerly hot-headed Perez would pack it in for the final round. Instead, a new and improved, more mature Perez put that poor round behind him and closed out with a 65 on Sunday. In five tournaments this season, Perez has missed the cut twice, but he may have found something in Los Angeles.
Lauren Deason
PGA TOUR.com Editorial Coordinator
Pick: Tripp Isenhour
Isenhour has never won on the PGA TOUR, although he has four Nationwide Tour victories. Last year, he finished at No. 5 on the Nationwide Tour money list and earned a trip to the TOUR. He won both the Movistar Panama Championship and the Livermore Valley Wine Country Championship in 2006, and I think this could be his week for PGA TOUR victory. And it would be the 200th PGA TOUR victory by a Nationwide Tour alum, if he did.
Melanie Hauser
PGATOUR.com Correspondent
Pick: Harrison Frazar
His game is rounding into form, and the former Longhorn is closing in on his first win.
Dave Lagarde
PGATOUR.com Contributor
Pick: George McNeill
The Q-School's magna cum laude graduate has a golden opportunity to grab his first PGA TOUR title.
John Maginnes
PGA TOUR Network on XM Radio analyst
Pick: Jerry Kelly
It would seem logical to pick a rookie this week. Most weeks on TOUR rookies are at a disadvantage because veteran players know the courses infinitely better than their less experienced counterparts. Being the inaugural event, though, no TOUR player has the advantage of familiarity. But when have I ever gone with the logical pick? Jerry Kelly will win in Mexico this week for a couple of reasons. He has always played well south of the border dating back to the old Monterey Open on the Nationwide Tour in the early '90's, and he nearly won the Guadalajara Invitational in 1999. Not to mention, he loves Greg Norman courses. He and Rod Pampling teamed up to win the Merrill Lynch Shootout last winter at Tiberon Golf Club in Naples, a Greg Norman design.
Helen Ross
PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents
Pick: Bill Haas
The former Wake Forest All-American already has three finishes among the top 27 in five starts this year, including a share of 22nd last week at the Nissan Open. Haas has been close before and he has abundant talent. This could be the week he finally gets over the hump on Sunday.
Dave Shedloski
PGATOUR.com Senior Correspondent
Pick: Matt Kuchar
A strong finish at Pebble Beach suggests that the former U.S. Amateur champion is ready to win again on the PGA TOUR. He ranks 16th in the All-Around category, which means he should have a decent chance of being in the hunt on a track unfamiliar to all.
Mike Vitti
PGATOUR.com ShotLink Analyst
Pick: J.B. Holmes
With two top-20s and three missed cuts, it has been either a really good week or a really bad one for Holmes. He does rank in the top-10 in greens in regulation, so if he can get his putter working this could be one of the good weeks.

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 Nissan Open
PGATOUR.com Experts 1st 2nd 3rd Top 10s Missed Cuts Total FedExCup Points
Helen Ross 2 1 1 3 3 16,311
T.J. Auclair 1 1 2 3 1 12,267
Melanie Hauser 2 0 0 2 2 11,248
John Maginnes 2 0 0 2 3 10,895
Dave Shedloski 1 0 1 3 3 9,091
Lauren Deason 1 0 1 3 3 7,875
Dave Lagarde 1 0 0 1 3 7,079
Brett Avery 1 0 0 0 4 6,038
Mike Vitti 0 1 0 1 4 4,875

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