Expert picks: Buick Invitational

text size

The PGA TOUR returns to Torrey Pines -- site of Tiger Woods' miraculous 2008 U.S. Open win, of course -- for the Buick Invitational. Here's how the PGATOUR.COM experts sized up the top contenders:

EXPERT PICKS How it works: Our 10 experts from PGATOUR.COM select the player they think will win this week's event. By using a draft process, no two picks can be the same. SLEEPER PICKS Of the players who didn't make the cut for our top 10 picks, which have the best chance as sleepers? Here's how our experts see it. Click here MORE: Click here for Nationwide Tour expert picks and sleepers.

Expert picks: Buick Invitational

Expert   Pick order Player selected   Win McMurry PHIL MICKELSON. Lefty's not going to MC two weeks in a row. In 2008, when he was eliminated from the weekend field at Pebble Beach, he won the following week in Los Angeles. He's also the ONLY player in the field who has won in the last decade at Torrey.   John Swantek RORY SABBATINI. The South African's clubs and his mouth have been quiet for some time now. For the entertainment value of the game, it's time they both started doing some serious yapping. If Swantek had the top pick ... Sabbatini Ceri Mobley CAMILO VILLEGAS. Spiderman tied for 13th last year and, even better, tied for ninth at the U.S. Open. Plus, I'm going to need a superhero to help my position in the standings. If Mobley had the top pick ... Villegas Ryan Smithson KEVIN STREELMAN. I am not sure what makes me happier: That Streelman was available for me to select, or that I prevented Mark Spoor from snagging him. Update: The latter. If Smithson had the top pick ... Streelman Brian Wacker LUCAS GLOVER. Long off the tee and ranked second on TOUR in birdie average, Glover should start seeing the results of some much-needed time away from golf in the offseason. This is as much a hunch as it is anything else, but I think this is his week. If Wacker had the top pick ... Sabbatini Mark Spoor DAVIS LOVE III. Love has four top-four finishes in his past seven starts in this tournament - and a top-two finish already in 2009. All you need is Love. If Spoor had the top pick ... Streelman Helen Ross PADRAIG HARRINGTON. I can't believe he lasted this long. The man who won the last two majors makes his 2009 TOUR debut under the radar, which is where he's comfortable. He tied for fifth in Abu Dhabi last month. Look for more of the same Stateside. If Ross had the top pick ... Harrington Mike McAllister LUKE DONALD. Says he's 100 percent recovered from surgery to his left wrist. Plus, it's tough to look past his track record at Torrey Pines: Two T2s, one T7 and two other top 25s in five career starts. If McAllister had the top pick ... Harrington Lauren Deason BRANDT SNEDEKER. Snedeker made a name for himself at this event two years ago, when he placed third at Torrey Pines as a TOUR rookie and set the record on the North Course with a 61. He also tied for ninth at the 2008 U.S. Open. If Deason had the top pick ... Mickelson T.J. Auclair ARRON OBERHOLSER. It's a home game for the oft-injured player who hasn't missed a cut in four starts at Torrey Pines with two top-10s. If injuries don't plague Oberholser this year, look out. If Auclair had the top pick ... Mickelson

LAST WEEK: Most of our experts struggled at the FBR Open last week when players like Phil Mickelson, Camilo Villegas, Mike Weir, defending champion J.B. Holmes and Anthony Kim missed the cut. Only Win McMurry notched a top-5 finish with her pick of David Toms to move up in our rankings. Each week, we'll update the standings based on the FedExCup points accumulated by the players selected by our experts. Here's how it stands after Week 4: