Sleeper Picks: Waste Management Phoenix Open

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Feb. 23, 2010

The Waste Management Phoenix Open takes place this week at TPC Scottsdale. Here's how the PGATOUR.COM experts sized up the top contenders:

EXPERT PICKS
How it works: Our 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. The player who wins the previous week picks last the following week. Click here
SLEEPER PICKS
Of the players who didn't make the cut for our top picks, which have the best chance as sleepers? Here's how our experts see it.
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Sleeper picks: Waste Management Phoenix Open

Expert	Pick order	Player selected
John Swantek			KEVIN NA. Made quick exit in Tucson versus Rory McIlroy as an Accenture Match Play rookie. In a stroke-play format on a desert layout he likes this week, though, Na will produce a different result.
Helen Ross			BRINY BAIRD. Seems like you can't go wrong picking Baird, who tied for fourth last week in Mexico, to finish high. Maybe this will be the week he finally gets that elusive first win -- he's made 307 starts on TOUR without a victory.
Lauren Deason			MARK CALCAVECCHIA. He's won three times at TPC Scottsdale, most recently in 2001. Though he hasn't performed well in 2010 with a T58 and two missed cuts, this soon-to-be Champions Tour golfer is tough to beat in Scottsdale.
Mike McAllister			CHARLEY HOFFMAN. In his first two visits to TPC Scottsdale, Hoffman failed to make the cut. But last year he finished second. It's been three years since his lone PGA TOUR victory. He's due for another win.
Ryan Smithson			RICKIE FOWLER. Would look just fine on a favorites sheet, much less as a Sleeper Pick. Will need to get the putting going to have a chance on TPC Scottsdale's large greens, but I like having a big hitter here this week.
Nick Zaccardi			JEFF MAGGERT. It's scary to hope for a 46-year-old to put together three straight strong weeks on TOUR, so I'm crossing my fingers here. Maggert racked up a T27 and a T20, respectively, at Pebble Beach and Mayakoba. He also posted a top-10 here last year.
Brian Wacker			RICKY BARNES. He finished ninth at the Northern Trust Open a couple of weeks ago, and I'm hoping a visit to the state where he starred in college at the University of Arizona will conjure up some good memories, at least on the golf course.

Standings after Week 5

LAST WEEK: Brian Wacker moved into the lead when Steve Marino finished fourth at Pebble Beach:
Position	Name	Wins	Top-5s	Top-10s	Top-25s	FedExCup points
1	Brian Wacker Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM	-	2	2	2	235
2	Lauren Deason Editorial Coordinator, PGATOUR.COM	-	1	1	1	231.83
3	Mike McAllister Managing Editor, PGATOUR.COM	-	-	1	2	172.83
4	Helen Ross Chief of Correspondents, PGATOUR.COM	-	-	1	1	150
5	John Swantek Host, PGA TOUR Today	-	-	1	1	122.83
6	Nick Zaccardi Associate Site Producer. PGATOUR.COM	-	-	-	-	101.5
7	Ryan Smithson Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM	-	-	-	-	71.92