Aug. 10, 2010
The PGA TOUR travels to Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wis., this week for the PGA Championship. Here's how the PGATOUR.COM experts sized up the top contenders:
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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.
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. Click here |
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| Expert picks: PGA Championship |
Casey
Black |
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RORY McILROY. With a win at Quail Hollow and a T3 at the British Open, he's not playing like a rookie. He can recover after a bad round and he can play in the wind, which may be a factor in Kohler. He's also coming off a top-10 finish at Firestone.
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John
Swantek |
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 | PHIL MICKELSON. What will Phil do next? Hopefully bounce back from that hideous 78 on Sunday at Firestone, which I fully expect. Tiger's troubles will absorb much of the pre-tournament attention, allowing No. 2 to come out swinging again.
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| If Swantek had the top pick ... Mickelson |
Ryan
Smithson |
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ERNIE ELS. With the third pick, it was either Big Ern or Paul Casey, and Els played very well last week at Firestone despite his hiccup on Sunday. I hate to leave Tiger on the board; really, i do. Surely he will find something on the range between now and Thursday.
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| If Smithson had the top pick ... Mickelson |
Mike
McAllister |
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STEVE STRICKER. Has two TOUR wins this year but hasn't been in contention in the first three majors (T30, T58, T55). Playing in his home state this week, though, he's looking for a storybook moment with his first major title.
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| If McAllister had the top pick ... Stricker |
Brian
Wacker |
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PADRAIG HARRINGTON. It's been too long since Harrington's last win (PGA, circa 2008) and he's playing a lot better now than he was at the start of the year. Plus, Whistling Straits is a links golf course and Harrington is Irish. Needless to say, they go together.
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| If Wacker had the top pick ... Harrington |
Anne
Szeker |
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MATT KUCHAR. With eight top-10s this season, including a T9 at Firestone last week, Kuchar is due for a win. He's got the game to succeed at Whistling Straits, and is first in the all-around ranking.
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| If Szeker had the top pick ... Kuchar |
Helen
Ross |
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SEAN O'HAIR. He's coming into his own in major championships with a tie for 12th at Pebble Beach and seventh at the British Open. Momentum is also on his side after he took a share of the lead into the final round of the Bridgestone Invitational and finished fifth.
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| If Ross had the top pick ... Mickelson |
Lauren
Deason |
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TIGER WOODS. Thought about Hunter Mahan, who is probably a smarter choice at this point. But Woods is working on his swing, and could gain some confidence after last week's dismal performance. Plus, he's still Tiger Woods -- don't count him out yet.
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| If Deason had the top pick ... Mickelson |
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| Standings after Week 31 |
LAST WEEK: Lauren Deason had the best showing, picking two top-10 finishers at Firestone and Atunyote, and moving into fourth place on the leaderboard.
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| Position |
Name |
Wins |
Top-5s |
Top-10s |
Top-25s |
FedExCup points |
| 1 |
Ryan Smithson
Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM |
5 |
7 |
9 |
15 |
3652.83 |
| 2 |
Brian Wacker
Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM |
1 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
2571.84 |
| 3 |
Helen Ross
Chief of Correspondents, PGATOUR.COM |
1 |
2 |
6 |
13 |
1940.49 |
| 4 |
Lauren Deason
Editorial Coordinator, PGATOUR.COM |
1 |
2 |
6 |
15 |
1761.22 |
| 5 |
Mike McAllister
Managing Editor, PGATOUR.COM |
1 |
2 |
6 |
14 |
1711.62 |
| 6 |
John Swantek
Host, On The Tee |
1 |
2 |
2 |
12 |
1559.58 |
| 7* |
Anne Szeker
Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM |
2 |
5 |
6 |
8 |
1454.32 |
| 8* |
Casey Black
Host, PGA TOUR Today |
1 |
3 |
2 |
4 |
1197.30 |
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