Expert Picks: The Greenbrier Classic

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Jul. 27, 2011

The Greenbrier Classic is this week at The Old White TPC. 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.
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: The Greenbrier Classic

Expert	Pick order	Player selected
Chris Dunham			JEFF OVERTON. I still think he gets win No. 1 this year. The effort to make The Old White TPC play tougher works in the 2010 runner-up's favor. He thrives in events where par is a good score like The Honda Classic (T6, -2) and the HP Byron Nelson (T8, +1).

Amanda Balionis			ANDRES ROMERO. Throw out a missed cut at the John Deere Classic and it has been a great month for the Argentine, most notably with a solo third at the RBC Canadian Open. He's a hot hand; let's see if it lasts at least one more week.
If Balionis had the top pick ... Romero
Mike McAllister			SERGIO GARCIA. In his last three starts, he finished T7 at the U.S. Open, second at the BMW International Open and T9 at the British Open. He's on the verge of breaking his three-year drought on TOUR. Why not this week?
If McAllister had the top pick ... Garcia
John Swantek			STUART APPLEBY. It's been a very quiet last four months -- the Aussie's only weekend action since March was at the Crowne Plaza Colonial in mid-May. But coming back to defend, with memories of 59, should work wonders.
If Swantek had the top pick ... Appleby
Lauren Deason			PHIL MICKELSON. Lefty tied for second in his most recent start at the British Open and already has one win this season. He is looking for his sixth top-10 of the year and could get it with the way he is playing right now.
If Deason had the top pick ... Mickelson
Ryan Smithson			JONATHAN BYRD. Hasn't made any of his last three cuts, but his ballstriking sets up well for this place. He's a streaky player who can show up anytime. A solid replacement for Brandt Snedeker, who withdrew on Wednesday. Tied for 21st here last year.
If Smithson had the top pick ... Garcia
Anne Szeker			WEBB SIMPSON. He ranks first in all-around ranking, fifth in birdie average, and sixth in scoring average. And with two runner-up finishes already, it stands to reason that it's only a matter of time before Simpson picks up his first TOUR win.
If Szeker had the top pick ... Garcia
John Schwarb			BRENDON DE JONGE. In two top-15 efforts at the John Deere and Viking, the Zimbabwean was a combined 32 under. He won't need to go that low this week, but he'll make plenty of birdies and take home that elusive first title. Finished third here last year.
If Schwarb had the top pick ... Overton
Helen Ross			CHARLES HOWELL III. Has been quietly having a very solid year with five top-10s -- including three in his last four starts -- to climb to 24th in the FedExCup. All that's missing is the win that would end a four-year drought for Howell, who was T9 here last year.
If Ross had the top pick ... Mickelson
Brian Wacker			BILL HAAS. He's cooled considerably since the beginning of the season, but Haas tends to play well on courses that yield a lot of birdies. He's also a really good ballstriker, something that's more important than driving at the Greenbrier.
If Wacker had the top pick ... Overton

Standings after 31 events

LAST WEEK: Not much cooking at the RBC Canadian Open; no movement in the standings though Brian Wacker increased his lead with Bo Van Pelt's T6:
Position	Name	Wins	Top-5s	Top-10s	Top-25s	FedExCup points
1	Brian Wacker Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM	1	7	11	21	2633.32
2	Mike McAllister Managing Editor, PGATOUR.COM	1	6	7	16	2440.71
3	Lauren Deason Editorial Coordinator, PGATOUR.COM	2	7	9	13	2376.88
4	Ryan Smithson Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM	2	6	8	15	2168.82
5	John Swantek Host, On The Tee	1	5	10	16	1880.86
6	Anne Szeker Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM	1	4	6	20	1644.82
7	Helen Ross Chief of Correspondents, PGATOUR.COM	1	2	7	14	1629.60
8	John Schwarb Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM	1	2	7	13	1512.12
9	Chris Dunham Editorial Coordinator, PGATOUR.COM	1	3	9	13	1496.99
10*	Amanda Balionis Host, PGA TOUR Today	0	2	2	5	667.25