Sleepers: Viking Classic

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Editor's note: PGATOUR.com has tried to make our experts work a little harder when they make their picks each week. The favorite can be anyone in the field, although Tiger Woods could only be used seven times during the year. Sleepers can't have won in 2008 or had a top 10 in their last five starts. A sleeper can't be ranked in the top 30 in the field, either.

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T.J. Auclair
PGATOUR.COM Interactive Producer
Pick: Jason Day
It's been a rather unspectacular season for the much talked about rookie. Day entered the 2008 season getting a lot of attention for the game he'd be bringing to the TOUR. For the most part, this has been a tough season for the young Aussie. In 21 starts, Day has 11 missed cuts and only had two top 10s. He's also fought through some back injuries. Look for him to contend this week at Annandale.

Lauren Deason
PGATOUR.COM Editorial Coordinator
Pick: David Toms
Toms is from Louisiana, Mississippi's neighbor to the west, and has played the Viking Classic five times in the past. He's fared well in the Gulf Coast, with his best finishes a tie for 12th in 1996 at the Viking Classic and a win at the nearby Zurich Classic of New Orleans in 2001. Toms didn't have a stellar season -- he only made the first event in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup and had no top-10s all year -- but he missed just four cuts in 18 starts and had a consistent year. It will be Toms' first time playing at Annandale in a decade, but he could use this event to turn a somewhat lackluster 2008 around and make up for missing the Ryder Cup team for the first time since 1999.

Dave Lagarde
PGATOUR.COM Correspondent
Pick: Fred Funk
An oldie but a goodie, Funk has won twice in Mississippi and still has enough game to compete with the flat bellies.

John Maginnes
PGATOUR.COM Contributor
Pick: Chris DiMarco
Last year, Chad Campbell went to the Viking Classic trying not to think about the fact that the Presidents Cup was going on in Montreal. He had played the Ryder Cup in Ireland and desperately wanted to be on another American team in international competition. Chad admitted later that the fact that he had not made that team motivated him in Mississippi as he won. If there is one player in this field who can take similar motivation after a few slim years, it is Chris DiMarco. While his game has been sparse lately, don't be surprised if he uses this week as a spring board to better things in the very near future.

Win McMurry
Host, PGA TOUR Today
Pick: Brett Quigley
He's on the bubble, needing a strong Fall finish to stay inside the top 125 on the money list and secure his card for 2009. He's no stranger to the Mississippi; despite not playing at Annandale for the last two years, this will be Quigley's 10th start at the Viking Classic. His best previous finish was fifth place in 2001. After some great late spring tournaments, Quigley's been cold this summer. His last top-10 was at the Memorial in early June following a tie for sixth at THE PLAYERS in May. With summer changing to fall, maybe Quigley's game will heat back up.

Scott Pianowski
The Fantasy Insider
Pick: Fred Funk
The story never changes with this straight shooter: Fairways, greens, a few laughs along the way. He's had plenty of success at this event (two wins, seven top 10s), with the meat of it coming this decade.

Helen Ross
PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents
Pick: Heath Slocum
Slocum is a former Viking Classic champion who has been one round away from a really good tournament this year. He has three top-10s this year and tied for 15th two weeks ago at the Deutsche Bank Championship. While his good friend, Boo Weekley, plays in the Ryder Cup in Louisville, look for Slocum to make some noise a little further south.

Dave Shedloski
PGATOUR.COM Senior Correspondent
Pick: Bo Van Pelt
Those three straight top 10s in this event are hard to ignore. His only top 10 this year is in the opposite field event in Puerto Rico, so maybe that's a trend worth watching, too.

John Swantek
PGA TOUR Productions Fantasy Insider
Pick: Bill Haas
Expectations have been heavy for Jay's kid, the 2004 national college player of the year at Wake Forest. He's made steady progression as a TOUR player, but has yet to produce a title. It was here last year (T3) where he came the closest, on his way to earning more than 40 percent of his total 2007 cash in four Fall Series events. This is Haas' time of year.