Expert Picks: The Honda Classic

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Mar. 1, 2011

The PGA TOUR travels to PGA National for The Honda Classic this week. 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.
SLEEPER PICKS
Of the players who didn't make the cut for our top picks, which have the best chance as sleepers? To see who our experts picked, click here.

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Expert picks: The Honda Classic

Expert	Pick order	Player selected
Helen Ross			LUKE DONALD. My track record picking the previous week's champion hasn't been that good. But Donald made a believer out of me last week at Dove Mountain. The 2006 Honda Classic champ is focused and looking for a big year.
John Schwarb			GRAEME McDOWELL. PGA National was a U.S. Open-caliber course last year, playing 1.64 shots over par, so I like the defending U.S. Open champ who opened with 68-67 here last year before fading over the weekend. He will post four good rounds and win.
If Schwarb had the top pick ... McDowell
Ryan Smithson			MATT KUCHAR. For all the talk of Martin Kaymer reaching No. 1, this fact was forgotten: Kuchar is now No. 10. He was like No. 345,567 just four years ago. Putting better than just about anyone in the world right now. In his absolute prime right now.
If Smithson had the top pick ... Kuchar
Brian Wacker			RORY McILROY. He's playing in the states for just the second time this season, but McIlroy has played well across the pond with two top-10s, including a runner-up, in three starts. McIlroy also tied for 13th at The Honda two years ago.
If Wacker had the top pick ... McDowell
Anne Szeker			LEE WESTWOOD. How wrong can I go picking the No. 2 player in the world? Didn't do that great at match play, but his stroke events this year have been pretty good. Plus, he was T9 here last year.
If Szeker had the top pick ... Donald
Mike McAllister			Y.E. YANG. Yang won here two years ago and he seems to be rounding into winning form again. He had a top-10 finish in Phoenix and then made a nice run to the quarterfinals last week at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.
If McAllister had the top pick ... Yang
Chris Dunham			JEFF OVERTON. He's going to win sometime, and probably going to do it when no one's expecting him to. With the star power of this week's field, no one's talking about Overton, but he has the all-around game to be successful on this tough track. Boom, baby!
If Dunham had the top pick ... McDowell
John Swantek			ROBERT ALLENBY. The Aussie's stellar record at the event through the years includes three straight top 5 finishes between 2007-'09. If ever there was a course where the 10 year Tour victory draught could end, it's PGA National.
If Swantek had the top pick ... McDowell
Lauren Deason			VIJAY SINGH. He placed second at the Northern Trust Open two weeks ago and tied for fourth at the Honda Classic last year. I like his chances in Florida, where the 34-time PGA TOUR winner lives and has won several times.
If Deason had the top pick ... McDowell

Standings after Week 8

LAST WEEK: Lauren Deason's selection of Spencer Levin snapped Mike McAllister's streak of top weeks, but wasn't enough to knock him out of the top spot in the standings.
Position	Name	Wins	Top-5s	Top-10s	Top-25s	FedExCup points
1	Mike McAllister Managing Editor, PGATOUR.COM	0	3	3	6	867.38
2	Lauren Deason Editorial Coordinator, PGATOUR.COM	0	4	5	5	793.50
3	Brian Wacker Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM	0	1	3	6	595.35
4	Ryan Smithson Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM	0	2	3	4	382.32
5	Chris Dunham Editorial Coordinator, PGATOUR.COM	0	1	4	4	367.74
6	Anne Szeker Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM	0	1	2	5	358.29
7	Helen Ross Chief of Correspondents, PGATOUR.COM	0	0	2	3	280.40
8	John Schwarb Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM	0	0	0	3	247.25
9	John Swantek Host, On The Tee	0	1	2	3	239.08