NEWS

Expert Picks: PODS Championship
 
Mar. 7, 2007
Print this page

• Who are the sleepers? • Tournament Coverage • Play Official TOUR Fantasy Games
Which player will take the honors in this weekend's PODS Championship? Our experts weigh in:

T.J. Auclair
PGATOUR.com Interactive Producer
Pick: K.J. Choi
I suppose Choi is the natural pick considering he won this tournament on this very course just four months ago. It's been made crystal clear that while this is the same venue, it will play like a completely different course because of the time of year. I still believe Choi, a two-time winner in the Tampa Bay area, will do well. He's made the cut five times in six starts this season with four top-25s, highlighted by a tie for fourth at the Sony Open in Hawaii.
Brett Avery
The Fantasy Insider
Pick: K.J. Choi
He's a two-time champ and the defender in the PODS Championship so hes a natural at Innisbrook Resort. But TFI already has him on the short list for the Masters. At every level of professional golf it has taken him a year or two to become acclimated to the surroundings before advancing to tougher competition. He's proven himself as a consistent performer on TOUR and the majors are the last frontier. P.S.: Asia's the last continent without a major championship winner.
Lauren Deason
PGA TOUR.com Editorial Coordinator
Pick: Vijay Singh
I've got to dispute TFI's claims this week that Singh is showing signs of slowing down. Sure, he might be 44 but that doesn't mean we've seen the last of Vijay or that he's going to hang up his spikes until he reaches the Champions Tour. In fact, it wouldn't be a shock at all if he won this week, having had so much success at this venue in the past. Though Singh missed the cut in 2005 at Westin Innisbrook Resort's Copperhead Course, he won in 2004, finished second in 2003 and tied for 19th last year. Maybe he hasn't had a dominant 2007, but he's one of the top players in the field this week and seems well suited for this venue.
Melanie Hauser
PGATOUR.com Correspondent
Pick: Joe Durant
The easy choice would be Vijay Singh, who's beginning his run-up to Augusta. The not- so-easy choice is the one we're going with -- Joe Durant. He's a Florida boy with a good record in the state, including a win at Disney last year and a tie for fourth here. Forget the missed cut last week.
Dave Lagarde
PGATOUR.com Contributor
Pick: Brett Wetterich
Just a flier on a bomber who had a solid tournament at tough-as-nails PGA National last week. Perhaps it will lead to his second career victory on a track with pleasant memories. He finished second here last year. So why not pick him in an event that's as wide open as the Texas Plains?
John Maginnes
PGA TOUR Network on XM Radio analyst
Pick: Vijay Singh
I usually try to come up with a little something different in my picks. However, this week I am forced to go with logic. Vijay will win again this week. The golf course is one of the most unique courses in Florida. There are elevation changes on virtually every hole. The greens are traditionally predictable. Ball-striking is at a premium this week. If there is a course in Florida where you can have a decent putting week and find yourself on the leaderboard on Sunday this is it. Vijay will hoist his second trophy of the year this week and his second in Tampa.
Helen Ross
PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents
Pick: Trevor Immelman
Trevor Immelman left Tucson 10 days ago extremely encouraged after winning his third-place match at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. He took last week off, so he's well-rested, and he'll feel at home with the family in tow in Tampa. Call it a hunch, but this could be the site of his second PGA TOUR win.
Dave Shedloski
PGATOUR.com Senior Correspondent
Pick: Brett Wetterich
The big-hitter from Cincinnati proved last week at The Honda Classic that long, narrow, water-laden golf courses aren't a hindrance to his ability to contend. Now he'll step on the Copperhead Course at Westin Innisbrook Resort, which is longer and just as intractable, and his power game could be put to even more effective use. His last round 17 weeks ago at Palm Harbor, Fla., was a 5-under 66, which lifted him into a tie for second behind two-time winner K.J. Choi. An American hasn't won the event since John Huston took the inaugural edition in 2000. Wetterich is a decent bet to be the second U.S. champ.

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 Honda Classic
PGATOUR.com Experts 1st 2nd 3rd Top 10s Missed Cuts Total FedExCup Points
Helen Ross 2 1 1 5 4 18,449.3
T.J. Auclair 1 1 2 4 2 13,594.2
Dave Lagarde 2 0 0 4 3 13,569.3
Melanie Hauser 2 0 0 3 4 12,570.3
John Maginnes 2 0 0 2 4 11,726.9
Lauren Deason 1 1 1 5 3 11,153.3
Dave Shedloski 1 0 1 4 4 10,498.7
Brett Avery 1 0 0 2 4 8,541.3

.The 2007 Champions Tour continues this week with the playing of the Toshiba Classic. PGATOUR.com Editorial Coordinator Lauren Deason offers up her pick to win.

Lauren Deason
PGATOUR.com Editorial Coordinator
Pick: Mark O'Meara
One of the many guys with local ties this week at the Toshiba Classic in Newport Beach, Calif., O'Meara will make his first start in the state as a Champions Tour member. A 16-time winner on the PGA TOUR, including two majors, O'Meara debuted on the Champions Tour last month at the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am, where he tied for 38th, and he followed that up with a tie for fifth at the ACE Group Classic. Expect O'Meara to play even better in California, as he won six times there on the PGA TOUR and also played college golf at Long Beach State. But here's the real kicker -- O'Meara knows Newport Beach Country Club, the site of this week's tournament, pretty well since he played his high school matches there.

.