The PGA TOUR heads to Augusta National for the Masters this week. Here's how the PGATOUR.COM experts size up the top contenders:
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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. Click here
SLEEPER PICKS
Of the players who didn't make the cut for our top picks, which have the best chance as sleepers? Here's how our experts see it.
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Sleeper picks: Shell Houston Open |
Expert | Pick order | Player selected |
Brian
Wacker | | | EDOARDO MOLINARI. The former U.S. Amateur champ was a runner-up at Bay Hill, is a long hitter, good putter and makes birdies. This kid -- and his brother, Francesco -- can flat out play and he'll be there on the weekend. |
Mike
McAllister | | | STEVE FLESCH. A year ago, he tied for sixth. Two years ago, he tied for fifth. You've got to like that track record. But he'll need to play better than the form he's shown in his first eight starts of this TOUR season when he's finished no better than T54. |
Helen
Ross | | | STEVE MARINO. He's never fared particularly well at majors, but Marino hasn't played in that many, either. The Virginia grad has quietly played pretty well this year with a fourth at Pebble Beach and top-15s the last two weeks. |
Casey
Black | | | CHARL SCHWARTZEL. He's coming off a third-place finish at the Shell Houston Open and he has three top-10s this year, in addition to two wins on the European Tour this year. |
John
Swantek | | | FRANCESCO MOLINARI. This is the guy Wacker actually meant to take, but he always confuses the two Italian brothers. Where Edoardo is more of a feel player, Francesco is more technically sound -- and the better putter. |
Lauren
Deason | | | CHAD CAMPBELL. He lost in a playoff last year at the Masters and tied for third in 2006, so hes no stranger to success at Augusta National. Plus, hes already had three top-25 finishes this year. |
Nick
Zaccardi | | | LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN. Step aside Rory McIlroy and Martin Kaymer. Oosthuizen is the current European Tour dynamo with a runner-up and a win in his last two starts. I also like that he has Augusta experience. |
Anne
Szeker | | | DAVID DUVAL. He can shoot 65 or 85. Almost win, or finish next to last. He hasn't made the cut at Augusta since 2001, but prior to that had four consecutive top 10s. Duval seems to step up just when we've forgotten him, so here's hoping this is the week. |
Ryan
Smithson | | | SHINGO KATAYAMA. Not much to write about other than his surprising solo fourth here last year. It also allows me to get in a Tommy Nakajima reference. Shockingly, Wikipedia doesn't mention Nakajima's 13 on the 13th hole in 1978. |
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Standings after Week 13 |
LAST WEEK: Only three people picked up points last week: |
Position | Name | Wins | Top-5s | Top-10s | Top-25s | FedExCup points |
1 | Ryan Smithson
Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM | - | 1 | 1 | 3 | 473.92 |
2 | Brian Wacker
Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM | - | 2 | 2 | 2 | 295.5 |
3 | Lauren Deason
Editorial Coordinator, PGATOUR.COM | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | 290.07 |
4 | Mike McAllister
Managing Editor, PGATOUR.COM | - | - | 1 | 2 | 236.33 |
5 | Nick Zaccardi
Associate Site Producer. PGATOUR.COM | - | - | - | 1 | 216 |
6 | Helen Ross
Chief of Correspondents, PGATOUR.COM | - | - | 1 | 1 | 225.5 |
7 | John Swantek
Host, PGA TOUR Today | - | - | 1 | 2 | 200.33 |
8* | Casey Black
Host, PGA TOUR Today | - | - | - | 1 | 65 |
9* | Anne Szeker
Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM | - | - | - | - | - |
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* - Joining the game a little late
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