Expert Picks: Maui

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• Sleeper Picks: Who may surprise?

T.J. Auclair
PGATOUR.com Interactive Producer
Pick: Vijay Singh
I had a hard time with this one. It was a toss up between Singh and Jim Furyk. Those two are among the favorites anytime they tee it up, especially in a field void of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Both Singh and Furyk have won this tournament before, but I've got to go with Veej, who comes back as the defending champ. Over the years he's made it something of a habit of winning early in the year -- you can't win any earlier than the first event.

Lauren Deason
PGATOUR.com Editorial Coordinator
Pick: Jim Furyk
Jim Furyk or Vijay Singh? It was a tough call but my vote goes to Furyk, who captured a title at the Mercedes-Benz Championship in 2001 and has seven top-10 finishes in 10 tries in the winners-only shindig. Singh is the defending champ -- and, if history is any indicator, the tournament is a popular spot for previous champions -- but look for Furyk to take the first trophy of the season.

Melanie Hauser
PGATOUR.com Correspondent
Pick: Vijay Singh
Good bet to pull an Appleby and win a couple of these in a row. He's fortysomething, but he's got a great record here and no one works harder in the offseason. And, oh, he wants another shot at knocking you-know-who off the top of the money and FedExCup point lists.

Dave Lagarde
PGATOUR.com Correspondent
Pick: Aaron Baddeley
Think he's primed for a monster year, one that could include a major. Remember you heard it here first.

John Maginnes
PGATOUR.com Contributor
Pick: Vijay Singh
Vijay Singh started the year off right in 2007 with a win at the Mercedes Benz Championship. If not for Stuart Appleby this could have been Vijay's third or fourth win in a row. If we have learned one thing about the Plantation Course over the last 8 years it is that those players who tend to play well here tend to play well here every year. In the absence of Appleby look for the other king of Kapalua to continue his reign.

Scott Pianowski
The Fantasy Insider
Pick: Vijay Singh
A chalk selection but the track record is hard to ignore; Vijay's got five straight top-fives here, including last year's win and a pair of seconds. With Tiger and Mercedes-Benz Championship ace Stuart Appleby out of the equation, the path is clear for Singh.

Helen Ross
PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents
Pick: Vijay Singh
The Plantation Course tends to lend itself to repeat winners -- just ask three-time winner Stuart Appleby -- so why not? Not to mention, I look for the enigmatic Fijian to come back from a relatively average 2007 -- by his standards, at least -- with a big year and a successful title defense would be a great start to the new year.

Dave Shedloski
PGATOUR.com Senior Correspondent
Pick: Jim Furyk
The TOUR Insider is defending his unofficial title in this little friendly (?) competition, so pressure is on early. Have to go with chalk out of the gate and take Jim Furyk. The No. 3 player in the world has a home on the Plantation Course and knows all the quirks, even better than ubiquitous challenger and defending champion Vijay Singh. Saw him putting in the rain Monday afternoon, which is a sign of either desperation or determination. Knowing Furyk, it's the latter. He wants to get out of the gate quickly, and he just might.