Expert Picks: Zurich Classic of New Orleans

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Apr. 26, 2011

The PGA TOUR travels to TPC Louisiana this week for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Here's how the PGATOUR.COM experts sized up the top contenders:

MAKE YOUR PICKS: Tell us who you think will win this week in New Orleans.

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: Zurich Classic of New Orleans

Expert	Pick order	Player selected
Chris Dunham			JEFF OVERTON. I've picked No. 1 twice, gone with chalk twice and come up with no top 10s. So I'm going a bit against the grain this week. Don't know what it is about this track that suits Overton but it's tough to argue with a T13 and T2 in the last two years.

John Schwarb			LUKE DONALD. Will the disappointment of last week at The Heritage carry over, or will he be just more fired up to win? Million-dollar question. But his next finish outside the top 10 will be his first since February, and I don't see that happening here. At least I hope.
If Schwarb had the top pick ... Donald
Amanda Balionis			ROBERT ALLENBY. Has been idle since the Masters. The week before, he tied for sixth in the Shell Houston Open. Australians have had strong showings all season and this is the week for Allenby to join Aaron Baddeley as 2011 Aussie winners.
If Balionis had the top pick ... Overton
Anne Szeker			NICK WATNEY. Before the Masters he hadn't finished outside of the top 13, with one win. He's one of the hottest players on TOUR this year -- ranking second in scoring average and first in all-around ranking.
If Szeker had the top pick ... Watney
Ryan Smithson			BUBBA WATSON. Hasn't done much since his hot start this year, but has been burning it up in practice. Always plays this event; tied for fifth here in 2007. Having an amazing year off the tee: For as long as he is, he ranks in the top 80 in driving accuracy. Incredible.
If Smithson had the top pick ... Watson
Mike McAllister			STEVE STRICKER. Has just two top-10s in 11 starts in New Orleans, so the track record is iffy. But he's played well this month, with a T4 at the Shell Houston Open and a T11 in his last start at the Masters. He's due to get back in the winner's circle.
If McAllister had the top pick ... Stricker
Helen Ross			BRANDT SNEDEKER. Of course, it's hard to win two weeks in a row. But you have to be impressed by Snedeker's play this year -- he's made six cuts in 11 starts and hasn't finished lower than 15th, including four top-10s. Why argue with the hot hand?
If Ross had the top pick ... Snedeker
John Swantek			JUSTIN ROSE. Spotty record in this event is trumped by his excellent current form; 8-for-8 in cuts made with three top-10 finishes. Ranked first on TOUR in greens hit, he'll be recharged after two weeks off since a T11 at the Masters.
If Swantek had the top pick ... Stricker
Brian Wacker			BEN CRANE. He's coming off a tie for sixth at The Heritage and is one of the best ball-strikers and putters on the TOUR. He doesn't have a very good track record at TPC Louisiana, but that's a minor concern.
If Dunham had the top pick ... Watney
Lauren Deason			GRAEME McDOWELL. Played very well at The Heritage before a 74-74 weekend. Will be making his first start at TPC Louisiana -- played in this event back in 2006 when it was played at English Turn post-Katrina. Very happy to have him with the 10th pick.
If Deason had the top pick ... Watney

Standings after 17 events

LAST WEEK: Lauren Deason cut into Mike McAllister's lead when her pick, Brandt Snedeker, won The Heritage.
Position	Name	Wins	Top-5s	Top-10s	Top-25s	FedExCup points
1	Mike McAllister Managing Editor, PGATOUR.COM	1	6	6	11	2012.55
2	Lauren Deason Editorial Coordinator, PGATOUR.COM	2	6	8	9	1942.15
3	Brian Wacker Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM	0	2	4	10	1094.08
4	John Swantek Host, On The Tee	1	3	5	8	1067.50
5	Chris Dunham Editorial Coordinator, PGATOUR.COM	0	2	7	9	794.99
6	Ryan Smithson Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM	0	3	4	8	738.82
7	Anne Szeker Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM	0	1	2	8	650.54
8	John Schwarb Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM	0	0	4	8	630.37
9	Helen Ross Chief of Correspondents, PGATOUR.COM	0	0	3	7	536.90
10*	Amanda Balionis Host, PGA TOUR Today	0	0	0	1	100.50