Sleeper Picks: RBC Canadian Open

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Jul. 19, 2011

The RBC Canadian Open is this week at Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club. Here's how the PGATOUR.COM experts sized up the top contenders. Make your picks here.

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. To see who the experts picked, click here.
SLEEPER PICKS
Of the players who didn't make the cut for our top picks, which have the best chance as sleepers?

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Sleeper Picks: RBC Canadian Open

Expert	Pick order	Player selected
Anne Szeker			KEVIN CHAPPELL. He's probably going to be my go-to sleeper pick until he wins. Five rookies have made it to the winner's circle so far this season, and with a T3 five weeks ago at the U.S. Open, I'm betting he becomes number six before the year is out.
Chris Dunham			BUD CAULEY. It's tough not to be bullish on this young pro who has made cuts in all three starts including last week's T4. The 21-year-old is hitting 70 percent of his greens, and would be No. 4 in Strokes Gained - Putting if he qualified for the stat.
John Schwarb			BLAKE ADAMS. The second-year pro has three top-15s in his last five starts, two of which were T9s, including last week's Viking Classic, where he shot a second-round 62. So, I'll take the Oklahoma-born, Georgia Southern-educated guy to shine...in Vancouver.
Brian Wacker			JAMES DRISCOLL. At 120th in the FedExCup standings, Driscoll needs to play well to keep his Playoffs hopes alive. That's what he's been doing with two top-10s in his last five starts after some minor swing changes that seem to be paying off.
Lauren Deason			JERRY KELLY. One of the veterans in the field that saw this place back in 2005, when he tied for fifth. Is flying low on the radar because he's missed his last two cuts. Knows how to putt on the poa annua greens. Great fantasy pick this week.
Helen Ross			MIKE WEIR. Hard to believe that Weir is considered Sleeper material, but the man known as Canada's golfing hero has struggled just to make cuts this year -- just squeaking by twice in 14 starts. Perhaps playing in front of the home folks will jump-start him.
Mike McAllister			DAVID HEARN. Five years ago, Hearn was low Canadian in this event, and it's no stretch of the imagination to think he'll finish as low Canadian again this year. He's made five straight cuts and he ranks in the top 40 on TOUR in greens in regulation.
Amanda Balionis			ANTHONY KIM. This might be the last week he's eligible as a sleeper pick, because his game is quickly rounding back into form. He played deep in the weekend at Royal St. George's with a T5 finish, but will have to hit it straight to make the cut in Canada.
Ryan Smithson			JOHN MERRICK. One stat jumps off the page: His scoring average of 69.86. Driving the ball better than ever, hitting his irons great and putting OK. Has two top-15s in last three starts and is close to regaining the card he lost after the 2010 season.
John Swantek			CHEZ REAVIE. Comes into the week very much in form: He tied for fifth at the John Deere Classic this year and after finishing T16 last week at the Viking Classic, sits 91st in FedExCup standings with the Playoffs closing in. Reavie won this event in 2008.

Standings after 29 events

LAST WEEK: Ryan Smithson lost his season-long points lead when Lauren Deason's pick of Davis Love III tied for ninth in the British Open:
Position	Name	Wins	Top-5s	Top-10s	Top-25s	FedExCup points
1	Lauren Deason Editorial Coordinator, PGATOUR.COM	1	2	4	6	1117.68
2	Ryan Smithson Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM	0	4	5	10	1104.98
3	Brian Wacker Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM	0	1	6	8	752.77
4	Mike McAllister Managing Editor, PGATOUR.COM	0	2	2	6	735.87
5*	Amanda Balionis Host, PGA TOUR Today	0	2	3	7	730.90
6	Anne Szeker Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM	0	1	4	5	727.91
7	John Schwarb Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM	0	2	2	8	738.10
8	Helen Ross Chief of Correspondents, PGATOUR.COM	0	0	1	9	624.33
9	John Swantek Host, On The Tee	0	0	2	4	459.27
10	Chris Dunham Editorial Coordinator, PGATOUR.COM	0	2	2	3	319.34