Aug. 5, 2009
The World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational will take place at Firestone South this week. Here's how the PGATOUR.COM experts sized up the top contenders:
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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 |
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| Expert picks: World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational |
Helen
Ross |
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TIGER WOODS. It seems like an embarrassment of riches to get to pick Tiger Woods to win two weeks in a row. But I'm not complaining when he's playing at Firestone, where he has won six times already.
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Mike
McAllister |
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LEE WESTWOOD. Has the momentum (top-10 finishes in last three starts) and likes Firestone (T2 last year when he led after the third round). Seems like great chance for the veteran to win his first PGA TOUR event.
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| If McAllister had the top pick ... Woods |
Ryan
Smithson |
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PHIL MICKELSON. I can't believe Mike passed up Phil, and I honestly think it has nothing to do with the layout. Westwood's playing as well as anyone right now, but Phil can play this course as well as anyone except Tiger.
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| If Smithson had the top pick ...Woods |
John
Swantek |
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RETIEF GOOSEN. With all the attention focused on Tiger's dominance at Firestone and Mickelson's emotional return to the game, Goosen will slip in and redeem himself after coughing up the RBC Canadian Open.
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| If Swantek had the top pick ... Woods |
Mark
Spoor |
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VIJAY SINGH. Remember, this is where Singh started his torrid run last year that led to him winning the FedExCup. This year, he's in need of another run. He has no top-five finishes this year, but has two top-10s in his past six starts. |
| If Spoor had the top pick ... Woods |
Ceri
Mobley |
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JIM FURYK. So Furyk hasn't won in two years. He's still a solid pick -- especially with his track record here: Six top-10s including a runner-up finish to Tiger in 2001. In fact, his worst finish is a T27. Jim will play well. I'm sure of it. |
| If Mobley had the top pick ... Woods |
T.J.
Auclair |
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STEVE STRICKER. He hasn't fared great at Firestone in the past, but the more I see of Stricker, the more I enjoy as his confidence seems to grow with age. I have a feeling Stricker will grab the hat trick for '09 before all is said and done.
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| If Auclair had the top pick ... Woods |
Brian
Wacker |
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ANTHONY KIM. His penchant for sometimes being too aggressive concerns me at a place like Firestone, but Kim has played really well since the U.S. Open, where he says everything finally started to come together.
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| If Wacker had the top pick ... Woods |
Lauren
Deason |
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RORY MCILROY. Love his stats in the 2009 World Golf Championships events (T5 at Accenture, T20 at CA), plus he's had top-20 finishes in two of three majors this year. I like his chances at Firestone. |
| If Deason had the top pick ... Woods |
Win
McMurry |
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ZACH JOHNSON. Zach's incredible season has put him a top contender going into the Playoffs. With his tie for second at the John Deere Classic, Zach shows he's still in form. Plus, in four starts at Firestone, his average finish is 18th.
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| If McMurry had the top pick ... Woods |
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LAST WEEK: Helen Ross continued her charge up the leaderboard with her pick of Tiger Woods, giving her a second place and a win in the last two weeks:
| Standings after Week 31 |
| 1 |
Win McMurry
Host, PGA TOUR Today |
3 |
7 |
6 |
8 |
3,799.6 |
| 2 |
Ceri Mobley
Associate Producer, PGATOUR.COM |
4 |
5 |
2 |
7 |
3,727.03 |
| 3 |
Mike McAllister
Managing Editor, PGATOUR.COM |
3 |
4 |
3 |
8 |
3,071.6 |
| 4 |
Helen Ross
Chief of Correspondents, PGATOUR.COM |
1 |
6 |
4 |
6 |
2,191.46 |
| 5 |
Mark Spoor
Coordinating Producer, PGATOUR.COM |
2 |
3 |
1 |
4 |
2,106.00 |
| 6 |
Lauren Deason
Editorial Coordinator, PGATOUR.COM |
- |
4 |
3 |
6 |
1,772.00 |
| 7 |
T.J. Auclair
Interactive Producer, PGATOUR.COM |
1 |
3 |
- |
7 |
1,763.24 |
| 8 |
Brian Wacker
Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM |
1 |
2 |
7 |
1 |
1,734.42 |
| 9 |
Ryan Smithson
Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM |
- |
5 |
4 |
2 |
1,527.12 |
| 10 |
John Swantek
Fantasy Insider, PGA TOUR Productions |
- |
3 |
1 |
9 |
1,218.00 |
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