Sleeper picks: U.S. Senior Open Championship

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- We've already highlighted the 10 players in the field (click here for Players to Watch) who will likely win the U.S. Senior Open Championship. But who would surprise us with a victory this week?

It's a tough call, but several injury-prone players made this list. If not for their ailments, they could easily have fallen into the "winners" category. The other two sleepers have course knowledge working in their favor.

Here are our sleeper picks for the week:

R.W. Eaks

Three weeks ago he would not have made our list. Despite being a sentimental favorite -- Eaks used to work on the grounds crew at The Broadmoor -- he has two bad knees that may need to be replaced and won't be allowed to use a cart at this week's major. Several weeks ago, he wasn't sure if he'd make it to this event. But in spite of his injuries, Eaks won the 3M Championship two weeks ago and is getting braces for his legs in hopes of fighting the knee pain. This would be the ultimate comeback story.

Mark Wiebe

Wiebe, a Denver resident, made a few early trips to the Colorado Springs area to scout the course. Weibe is also a two-time winner on the Champions Tour despite joining just last September. In fact, he could just as easily have made the "winners" list as the "surprises" list except for his past several weeks, which have included just one top 10 in seven events.

Dale Douglass

Douglass is 72 and will have to compete against players who just turned 50. So why put him on this list? It's simple. Dale's father Hal served on the staff at The Broadmoor for 18 years and Douglass, a University of Colorado grad and Castle Rock, Colo., resident, has wisdom working in his favor. He also won the U.S. Senior Open in 1986. It's hard to imagine him winning with the likes of Langer, Haas and Watson in the field but, like Eaks, he's a sentimental favorite and a player who has tons of course knowledge.

Peter Jacobsen

Don't underestimate Jacobsen. He falls into the dark horse category because of his perpetual injuries -- his most recent surgery involved left knee replacement in March -- but he seems to have recovered nicely, tying for 13th in his second tournament upon returning. Jacobsen won the U.S. Senior Open in 2004 for his first title and captured his only other trophy at the 2005 Ford Senior Players Championship, another Champions Tour major. Since he has a habit of winning majors on the Champions Tour, this would be one of five weeks for him to continue that trend in 2008.

David Delich

He's an amateur participating in his first U.S. Senior Open Championship, so you probably aren't familiar with the name. Delich, however, is certainly familiar with the course. He's a six-time club champion at The Broadmoor Golf Club and, with his brother on the bag this week, will have experience and a reliable partner to calm any nerves. The 51-year-old qualified for the event by shooting 74 at Colorado Golf Club, so the Colorado Springs resident won't have to deal with any altitude adjustments or area unfamiliarity like many of the other players. He's such a long shot we couldn't even find a photo of him but can you say perfect Cinderfella story if he wins?