Sleeper Picks: The Honda Classic

text size

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. To see the picks, 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.

MORE: Power Rankings | Inside the Field | Inside the Course | FANTASY GOLF: Play our game -- FREE!

Sleeper picks: The Honda Classic

Expert	Pick order	Player selected
Helen Ross			WEBB SIMPSON. He's been changing diapers for a couple of weeks but before his first child was born, Simpson was playing very well with ties for 13th and eighth in two of his last three starts.
John Schwarb			BRENDON DE JONGE. Finished T9 here last year with a 67-68 weekend, second-lowest in the field. This year he's been a weekend horse too, playing better final rounds than opening rounds in three of four events where he's made the cut. Love that in a sleeper.
Ryan Smithson			FREDRIK JACOBSON. Vastly underrated grinder. Is hitting the ball much better this year, and he's a legit threat to win at PGA National, where he's top-10ed the last two years. I still can't figure out why he doesn't have an 'e' in his last name.
Brian Wacker			ALEX CEJKA. He's got a proven track record at PGA National, where he tied for seventh in 2008 and tied for 13th in 2009. And only a third-round 75 kept him just outside a top-25 finish last year.
Anne Szeker			KEEGAN BRADLEY. One of the stronger rookies on TOUR so far this year. He's had three finishes in the top 25. And his stats are impressive: 14th in GIR, fourth in total driving, second in ball striking, 18th in scoring average.
Mike McAllister			TOMMY GAINEY. Two Gloves has cashed in his last four, including that top-10 in Phoenix when he played so well the first three days. He also played well the first three days at Mayakoba. Hmm, noticing a trend?
Chris Dunham			SCOTT VERPLANK. Our fantasy columnist says it won't hurt to have a little moxie this week. Verplank, who finished T13 here in 2009 certainly has that. The 25-year TOUR veteran with five career victories and a top-10 finish in each of the four majors.
John Swantek			NICK PRICE. Three Champions Tour players finished inside the top 20 at the Mayakoba Golf Classic last week (John Cook was third). That will inspire the 54-year-old, whose major championship experience will help at PGA National.
Lauren Deason			MARC TURNESA. Turnesa, who won the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in 2008, hasn't done much yet this year. But he's proven that he knows how to win on TOUR and something tells me that he's going to have a good week.

Standings after Week 6

LAST WEEK: The Sleeper competition is now two weeks behind the expert picks, but the standings remained unchanged after the Northern Trust Open.
Position	Name	Wins	Top-5s	Top-10s	Top-25s	FedExCup points
1	Lauren Deason Editorial Coordinator, PGATOUR.COM	0	1	1	1	219.00
2	Chris Dunham Editorial Coordinator, PGATOUR.COM	0	2	2	2	206.07
3	Brian Wacker Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM	0	0	1	3	171.00
4	John Schwarb Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM	0	1	1	1	157.00
5	Helen Ross Chief of Correspondents, PGATOUR.COM	0	0	1	1	143.50
6	Anne Szeker Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM	0	0	1	1	139.00
7	Mike McAllister Managing Editor, PGATOUR.COM	0	0	0	1	90.47
8	John Swantek Host, On The Tee	0	0	0	0	8.0
9	Ryan Smithson Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM	0	0	0	0	1.07