Expert Picks: AT&T National

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Jun. 28, 2011

The AT&T National is this week at Aronimink Golf Club. Here's how the PGATOUR.COM experts sized up the top contenders:

MAKE YOUR PICKS: Tell us who you think will win this week at Aronimink.

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: AT&T National

Expert	Pick order	Player selected
John Schwarb			NICK WATNEY. He's playing far too well to not have already joined Mark Wilson in the two-win-2011 club. He faded a bit last weekend at the Travelers but he'll put four days together at Aronimink, where was T7 last year.

Chris Dunham			RYAN MOORE. He was oh-so-close last weekend at Travelers -- if he had parred the 72nd hole, who knows? Still, he left town happy and now goes to a place where he was second last year.
If Dunham had the top pick ... Moore
Mike McAllister			KEVIN STREELMAN. Has made his last eight cuts, and in that span has five top-20 finishes. Throw out his poor showing at the U.S. Open (T67) and he's finished top-10 in his last three non-major starts. Definitely in a groove.
If McAllister had the top pick ... Watney
Lauren Deason			ADAM SCOTT. He won't have any issues with Aronomink's tight fairways and small greens -- he's one of TOUR's best ballstrikers. Where he might struggle is on the greens, but his change to a long putter has made him more comfortable over short putts.
If Deason had the top pick ... Scott
Helen Ross			WEBB SIMPSON. He already has two runner-up finishes this year, and he's coming off four rounds in the 60s last week at TPC River Highlands. He is 14th or better in his last three starts -- including on a similarly old-style course at Congressional in the U.S. Open.
If Ross had the top pick ... Simpson
Amanda Balionis			STEVE MARINO. Has missed his last two cuts, but it would be no surprise to see him play well here. Marino ranks fifth in the bounce-back category and leads putts made from 15-20 feet. He'll need to make those, as Aronimink does not easily surrender birdies.
If Balionis had the top pick ... Marino
Ryan Smithson			JUSTIN ROSE. Isn't playing well, but I don't care. His awesome performance here last year -- he shot 64 in the second round -- didn't get the due it deserved. Is probably the best iron player on the PGA TOUR right now.
If Smithson had the top pick ... Moore
Brian Wacker			K.J. CHOI. He's played well all year with five top-10s, which includes of course his win at THE PLAYERS Championship. Choi also won this event in 2007 -- albeit at a different course, but there are some similarities between Aronimink and Congressional.
If Wacker had the top pick ... Watney
Anne Szeker			JEFF OVERTON. He shot four rounds in the 60s here last year to finish in solo third place. The course suits his game and hopefully good memories will help him improve on some recent disappointing results.
If Szeker had the top pick ... Simpson
John Swantek			GARY WOODLAND. Has delivered his best performances on the toughest tracks; top 10 at PGA National and Muirfield Village to go along with victory on the Copperhead course in Tampa. So, he should find Aronimink very much to his liking. A steal with the 10th pick.
If Swantek had the top pick ... Watney

Standings after 26 events

LAST WEEK: No movement in the standings, but John Swantek got a 245-point boost thanks to Ryan Moore's T2 at the Travelers Championship.
Position	Name	Wins	Top-5s	Top-10s	Top-25s	FedExCup points
1	Mike McAllister Managing Editor, PGATOUR.COM	1	6	7	15	2347.71
2	Brian Wacker Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM	1	6	9	18	2340.91
3	Lauren Deason Editorial Coordinator, PGATOUR.COM	2	6	8	11	2156.55
4	Ryan Smithson Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM	2	6	7	12	1984.32
5	John Swantek Host, On The Tee	1	5	9	14	1707.61
6	Helen Ross Chief of Correspondents, PGATOUR.COM	1	2	5	12	1472.10
7	Anne Szeker Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM	0	1	3	16	1098.82
8	Chris Dunham Editorial Coordinator, PGATOUR.COM	0	2	8	12	994.49
9	John Schwarb Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM	0	1	6	11	914.87
10*	Amanda Balionis Host, PGA TOUR Today	0	1	1	3	386.00