Oct. 25, 2011
The 2011 PGA TOUR season has concluded but an elite field is converging for the second CIMB Asia Pacific Golf Classic. Here's how PGATOUR.COM's experts sized up the top contenders at The Mines Resort and GC.
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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.
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| MORE: Power Rankings | The field | Inside the Course | FANTASY GOLF: Play our game -- FREE! |
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| Expert Picks: CIMB Asia Pacific Golf Classic |
Mike
McAllister |
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BEN CRANE. The CIMB defending champ comes off a win two weeks ago at The McGladrey Classic, so he's obviously in good form. The Mines Resort course is less than 7,000 yards, so Crane's lack of distance off the tee is a non-factor. |
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John
Schwarb |
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 | BO VAN PELT. BVP had a big season for a guy who didn't win, with five top-10s including two in the FedExCup Playoffs. In this small field it's easy to see him being the class of it and ending 2011 with a win. |
| If Schwarb had the top pick ... Van Pelt |
Brian
Wacker |
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CAMILO VILLEGAS. Three top-10s in his last four starts is good enough reason for me -- and he has a history of playing well at the end of the year. |
| If Wacker had the top pick ... Villegas |
Lauren
Deason |
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BRANDT SNEDEKER. No one in this 48-man field boasts a higher world ranking (27th) than Sneds or comes off a higher FedExCup finish (eighth). He had one win this season at The Heritage but is definitely a two-win-per-year talent. |
| If Deason had the top pick ... Snedeker |
Ryan
Smithson |
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SPENCER LEVIN. Makes as many birdies as anyone, and that is definitely a requirement this week. Still can't believe this guy hasn't won yet when seemingly everyone else shipped the hardware this year. Barely missed the top 30 on the money list. |
| If Smithson had the top pick ... Crane |
Chris
Dunham |
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BRIAN DAVIS. The Englishman put four quality rounds together in his 2010 runner-up effort and was the only player to post three rounds of 66 or better. While a win wouldn't go down as Davis' first TOUR victory, it would be his first worldwide since 2004. |
| If Dunham had the top pick ... Crane |
John
Swantek |
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ANGEL CABRERA. The 2-time major champion teed it up twice in the Fall Series because he felt his game needed work. A missed cut was followed by a T6. I like the trend - and the amount of birdies the aggressive Argentine will make this week. |
| If Swantek had the top pick ... Cabrera |
Anne
Szeker |
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BRENDAN STEELE. This year's rookie class is good enough to have more than one multiple winner, and Steele regained his springtime momentum with a T16 at the JT Shriners Hospitals and T7 at the Frys.com Open. |
| If Szeker had the top pick ... Crane |
Helen
Ross |
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CARL PETTERSSON. Granted, he didn't finish strong here a year ago. But Pettersson, who was tied for second entering the final round, knows he can play the course after making 21 birdies for the week. Plus, he's got two top-5 finishes in his last six starts. |
| If Ross had the top pick ... Crane |
Amanda
Balionis |
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VIJAY SINGH. The Big Fijian first won at the 1984 Malaysian PGA Championship, and 27 years later he hasn't lost any of his hunger --- especially considering his last win came in 2008. |
| If Balionis had the top pick ... Crane |
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| Fall Series final standings |
LAST EVENT: Amanda Balionis capped off a great Fall Series with Luke Donald, who capped off a pretty good year himself at the CMN Hospitals Classic:
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| Position |
Name |
Wins |
Top-5s |
Top-10s |
Top-25s |
Money |
| 1 |
Amanda Balionis
Host, PGA TOUR Today |
2 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
$1,843,533.34 |
| 2 |
Chris Dunham
Editorial Coordinator, PGATOUR.COM |
0 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
$927,410.00 |
| 3 |
Anne Szeker
Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM |
0 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
$374,955.83 |
| 4 |
John Swantek
Host, On The Tee |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
$263,547.50 |
| 5 |
Lauren Deason
Editorial Coordinator, PGATOUR.COM |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
$247,694.66 |
| 6 |
Ryan Smithson
Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM |
0 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
$245,545 |
| 7 |
Mike McAllister
Managing Editor, PGATOUR.COM |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
$235,371.54 |
| 8 |
Helen Ross
Chief of Correspondents, PGATOUR.COM |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
$218,529.56 |
| 9 |
Brian Wacker
Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
$30,375.00 |
| 10 |
John Schwarb
Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
$19,466.66 |
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