NEWS

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

• Who will win? • Tournament Coverage • Play Official TOUR Fantasy Games
Which player could sneak up on the field in this weekend's PODS Champioship? Our experts weigh in:

T.J. Auclair
PGATOUR.com Interactive Producer
Pick: Heath Slocum
I've always liked Slocum. He's one of the smallest guys on TOUR in stature, but he's got a heck of a game. Four months ago at Copperhead, Slocum managed a tie for 11th. He comes into this week off a missed cut at The Honda Classic, but I believe that was an aberration. Of his five previous events in 2007, Slocum had just one finish outside of the top 20 and his best finish was a tie for fourth at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. Hell play well again on this difficult layout.
Brett Avery
The Fantasy Insider
Pick: Daniel Chopra
If he putts up to his potential, as he did in that tie for eighth at last week's Honda Classic (26.8 per round, tied first), then he'll finish at least as high as his tie for 10th at Innisbrook Resort in 2005. If he doesn't putt well and can't hit a fairway to save his behind (47.7 percent for the season, tied for 177th on TOUR) then the best-case scenario is last year's tie for 44th here.
Lauren Deason
PGATOUR.com Editorial Coordinator
Pick: Arron Oberholser
This may not be the smartest pick, since Oberholser came back just two weeks ago from a back injury and could be inconsistent. A bulging disk forced him to withdraw from the Mercedes-Benz Championship at the start of the year and kept him from defending his title at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in early February. Upon his return, however, he's done well, with a tie for 33rd at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship and a tie for 10th at The Honda Classic. Oberholser tied for 38th in 2004, the only time he's played at Innisbrook, but he should do even better this year.
Melanie Hauser
PGATOUR.com Correspondent
Pick: Brett Wetterich
He finished second here last year and a tie for eighth at The Honda Classic. He could slip in the back door.
Dave Lagarde
PGATOUR.com Contributor
Pick: Carl Pettersson
He improved every round last week. Maybe the Swede is starting to find his game.
John Maginnes
PGA TOUR Network on XM Radio analyst
Pick: Billy Mayfair
My dark horse this week is Billy Mayfair. I played with Billy at the Copperhead course the year before he went to the long putter. What I remember most about that week was that he should have won the tournament except he putted like a beginner. Billy has resurrected his career with the long putter. Now it is time for him to prove that with a victory.
Helen Ross
PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents
Pick: Daniel Chopra
He's been quietly playing well of late with a tie for eighth last week and a share of 11th at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Chopra, who was born in Sweden but raised in India, is a big hitter and a solid putter, both of which should serve him well at Innisbrook this week.
Dave Shedloski
PGATOUR.com Senior Correspondent
Pick: Jesper Parnevik
He has yet to crack the top 25 this year, but the Copperhead Course might treat him more kindly. It has in the past, what with a runner-up finish, a tie for sixth last year and three top-25s in his four appearances. Other than one ugly round at Pebble Beach, Parnevik has been a fairly steady performer much of the season. He needs to find a way to go a bit lower, however, and returning to a course where he's shot in the 60s in nine of 16 rounds could be a boost to the confidence.

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

.