Expert Picks: Arnold Palmer Invitational

text size

• Sleeper Picks: Who may surprise?
• Join our new Facebook fan page and get in the discussion: Give us your picks and fan thoughts on Facebook

T.J. Auclair
PGATOUR.com Interactive Producer
Pick: Tiger Woods
I've been making my fair share of bogeys this year when it comes to picks, the most notable of which was picking against Tiger Woods at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. The reason was what I believed at the time, to be a good one. We can only select Tiger seven times this year. I figured since match play is rather finicky and given his losses in the past to the likes of Nick O'Hern (twice) and Peter O'Malley, Woods could be susceptible. Wrong. So, from here on out, I'm using up all seven of my picks unless Tiger gives me reason not to. It doesn't hurt this week that he's a four-time winner at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard, either.

Lauren Deason
PGATOUR.com Editorial Coordinator
Pick: Tiger Woods
He won this tournament four times in a row at Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club in the early 2000s. Combine that with the fact that Woods hasn't lost since the Deutsche Bank Championship in September. He just barely finished second there, so even his losses are still better than most. It'd be silly not to think that Woods is just going to continue his consecutive wins streak, tie Ben Hogan's record of 64 PGA TOUR wins and impress us all yet again with his ability to defy logic on the golf course this week.

Melanie Hauser
PGATOUR.com Correspondent
Pick: Tiger Woods
Didn't go with my gut at match play, will here -- my second of the seven. His record here is incredible and is there a better place to tie Ben Hogan than at Arnold's place? We could recite chapter and verse, but you don't need to hear it again. He remains perfect for 2008.

John Maginnes
PGATOUR.com Contributor
Pick: Vijay Singh
While everyone is going to pick Tiger this week, I think that I am going in a different direction. Here is why, Tiger has dominated on this course but not in several years. Furthermore, if Tiger has a weakness, it is par-70 golf courses. When Tiger was dominating here, he was shooting 15 under or more. Now that the course is shorter and harder there are other people that have a chance. One guy who hasn't struggled here during the transition is the defending champ. Look for Vijay to turn the corner this week.

Win McMurry
Host, PGA TOUR Today
Pick: Tiger Woods
I picked against him at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match-Play Championship -- and the world's No. 1 proved again why he's the best. Four in a row at The King's tournament is a feat only Tiger can claim -- and he's on another consecutive victory run.

Scott Pianowski
The Fantasy Insider
Pick: Tiger Woods
Tiger hasn't done better than 20th in his last four stops here, but it's hard to look past those four pretty wins at the beginning of the decade. You need a good reason to not pick Tiger, even as we're on a limited-use program. I'm sticking with the chalk.

Dave Shedloski
PGATOUR.com Senior Correspondent
Pick: Tiger Woods
Kept trying to think of reasons to not select him this week. Couldn't come up with a single one, except that he's (almost) human. Four straight wins here have been followed the last four years by less than stellar golf. Seems like there's no way he lets that continue, especially with a win streak on the line.

Helen Ross
PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents
PIck: Tiger Woods
I can't afford to lose any more ground in this competition, and I can't imagine betting against Woods on a course where he won four straight from 2000-2003. Granted, a tie for 20th is his best since that four-peat, but this is a man who has won his last four PGA TOUR events and five in a row counting that victory in Dubai. So I am using the second of my seven allotted Tiger picks here at Bay Hill as the world watches his next step toward history.

John Swantek
PGA TOUR Productions Fantasy Insider
Pick: Tiger Woods
Inexplicably, I didn't use him at either Buick Invitational or Accenture Match Play Championship. Hey, how's that workin' out for ya? I will not exhibit that same boneheaded lapse in judgement again. Concerned about the four straight finishes out of the top 10 at Bay Hill but, desperate for some easy points, will burn one of my seven Tiger picks at Arnie's Place.

.