Expert Picks: Viking Classic

text size

Sep. 28, 2010

The PGA TOUR travels to Madison, Miss. this week for the Viking Classic. 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. Note: Two new experts, Chris Dunham and John Schwarb, are joining the panel for the Fall Series.
VIKING CLASSIC: Power Rankings \| Inside the Course \| Inside the Field \| FANTASY GOLF: Play our game -- FREE!

Expert Picks: Viking Classic

Expert	Pick order	Player selected
Chris Dunham			CHARLIE WI. He says he's more relaxed, finally playing his game and is getting the desired results. Wi has a career-high four top-10 finishes this season and went T27, T18, T8 in his three Playoffs starts.

John Schwarb			D.J. TRAHAN. After a mediocre summer, his game has come back around, including a solo 10th at the Deutsche Bank Championship. He won in 2006 at Annandale, then in '08 at the Bob Hope Classic. Time for his biennial win here.
If Schwarb had the top pick ... Trahan
Casey Black			JASON BOHN. He won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans earlier this year but is coming off a long break after only making it to the third leg of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. He should be ready to go in Mississippi.
If Black had the top pick ... Bohn
Helen Ross			SEAN O'HAIR. Earlier this summer, he showed signs of turning the corner after posting six finishes of 12th or better in eight starts leading up to his fifth place in Akron. O'Hair didn't finish higher than 31st in the Playoffs, though, so he should be motivated.
If Ross had the top pick ... O'Hair
Anne Szeker			BILL HAAS. Haas was steady toward the end of the season -- finishing in the top 50 in his last four events and has great history at this event (T4 and T3 in last two starts). Still without a top-10 since the World Golf Championships-CA Championship (sixth).
If Szeker had the top pick ... Haas
Brian Wacker			HEATH SLOCUM. He's third in all-time earnings in the event and ranks 27th on TOUR in greens in regulation. He also has four top-10s this season, including one as recently as The Barclays. Practically a home game for this Milton, Fla., native.
If Wacker had the top pick ... Haas
John Swantek			DAVID TOMS. Strong trend of recent play; T2 at Wyndham to get into the Playoffs, where he went three tournaments deep, including T15 at BMW. I like his chances on a layout like Annandale, where he tied for eighth in 2008.
If Swantek had the top pick ... Toms
Ryan Smithson			BOO WEEKLEY. Didn't make a cut in the Playoffs, where his only appearance on TV was in the MasterCard commercials. I still believe in this guy's game, and a victory this week would take the sting out of a long year for him. Gotta get the putter going, y'all.
If Smithson had the top pick ... Toms
Mike McAllister			TREVOR IMMELMAN. Although he finished T53 in his last start a month ago at the Wyndham Championship, he did shoot four rounds in the 60s. The Fall Series is a perfect opportunity for the '08 Masters champ to continue getting his game into shape.
If McAllister had the top pick ... Haas
Lauren Deason			BRIAN GAY. He's been very hit or miss this season, with nine missed cuts and nine top-25 finishes. He had top-30 showings in two of the three Playoffs events, though, so he's playing well heading into the Viking Classic.
If Deason had the top pick ... Haas

Standings after Week 37

FINAL STANDINGS: Lauren Deason held on to the win the FedExCup title among the experts for the 2010 season. Her pick of Matt Kuchar at The Barclays proved to be the clincher. The regular season champion, Ryan Smithson, was last among the eight experts with no top-10s in the Playoffs:
Position	Name	Wins	Top-5s	Top-10s	Top-25s	FedExCup points
1	Lauren Deason Editorial Coordinator, PGATOUR.COM	2	3	8	20	5,094.72
2	Mike McAllister Managing Editor, PGATOUR.COM	2	3	8	18	4,950.45
3	Ryan Smithson Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM	5	7	9	19	4,435.68
4	John Swantek Host, On The Tee	1	4	5	16	4,033.83
5	Brian Wacker Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM	1	10	12	13	3,779.34
6*	Anne Szeker Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM	2	6	9	14	3,779.34
7	Helen Ross Chief of Correspondents, PGATOUR.COM	1	3	9	16	3,380.74
8*	Casey Black Host, PGA TOUR Today	1	4	5	8	2,288.16