PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Now that 36 holes are in the books at
THE PLAYERS Championship, the PGATOUR.COM staff were asked to
provide their predictions for the winner Sunday night at TPC
Sawgrass. Here are our choices. Fill out the form below and let us
know who you’re picking this weekend.
ZACH JOHNSON (8 under, co-leader)
"The 36-hole lead was 8 under ... which means 12 will be good
enough to win. Johnson has the mentality to grind out a couple of
70s, and if he can do this, he will claim his biggest victory since
the 2007 Masters." --
Ryan Smithson, Producer
"I'd usually be leery of a 36-hole frontrunner on the Stadium
Course, but this co-leader looked awfully comfortable here Friday
in his 66. His driver's not going to disappear over the weekend,
and he's plenty steady enough on the greens." --
John Schwarb, Producer
KEVIN NA (8 under, co-leader)
"The last two PLAYERS champions have ranked first (Tim Clark,
2010) and second (K.J. Choi, 2011) in the field for the TOUR's
primary putting statistic -- Strokes Gained-Putting. Guess who
ranks first after 36 holes this week? All Na must do is stay out of
trouble and stay calm. And yes, I know -- that's easier said than
done, especially here." --
Mike McAllister, Managing Editor
“Last time Na held a share of the 36-hole lead was in Las
Vegas, where he notched his first career win. Na is healthy,
confident and ready for a statement victory.” –
Amanda Balionis, host, PGA TOUR Today
ADAM SCOTT (6 under, two shots off lead)
"It's been feast or famine for Scott at THE PLAYERS, but it
looks like he's pretty hungry this year. Scott, the 2004 champion,
has three top-10s and three missed cuts here. He carded a 66 in the
final round of the Masters to tie for eighth and seems primed for
another big weekend at a big event." --
Bill Cooney, Producer
BEN CURTIS (5 under, three shots off lead)
"His 71 on Friday was huge, considering he hit just five
fairways and eight greens. He's also putting the ball well and been
in a total groove with three straight finishes in the top 15,
including a win last month in San Antonio. He also fits the mold of
somewhat unexpected winners here and tends to play well, if not
win, when he's in contention." --
Brian Wacker, Producer
LUKE DONALD (3 under, five shots off lead)
"It's so difficult to protect a lead on the Stadium Course
over the weekend; I'm expecting someone to come from off the pace.
There are 29 players within five shots of the lead and Donald is
the most dangerous." --
John Swantek, Host, On The Tee
LEE WESTWOOD (3 under, five shots off lead)
"I started to go with one of the front-runners, but a lot can
happen over the final two rounds at the Stadium Course --
particularly with wind that's expected to pick up and blow in the
15-25 mph range. I like the way Westwood is playing right now --
he's tied for second in fairways hit, fourth in greens in
regulation and sixth in driving distance, If his putter gets hot --
watch out." --
Helen Ross, Chief of Correspondents
