Expert Picks: Who will win their first major in 2008?

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T.J. Auclair
PGATOUR.com Interactive Producer
Pick: Justin Rose
In 2007, despite fighting off a nagging back injury, England's Justin Rose finished no worse than a tie for 12th in all for majors. His best was a tie for fifth at the Masters where he was in the hunt down the stretch until suffering a heartbreaking double bogey on the 71st hole. While he still hasn't racked up that maiden TOUR win, Rose has been knocking on the door for a long time now. As he proved over the course of the past season, his game is primed for all types of major championship setups. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see Rose make his first TOUR win a major championship.

Lauren Deason
PGATOUR.com Editorial Coordinator
Pick: Sergio Garcia
This is a tough call. Having done research recently for PGATOUR.com's "Top 20 in Their 20s" series, my gut is to say that one of those players will finally capture a major title this season. The most likely player to do that is Sergio Garcia. He has plenty of experience at the top of major leaderboards -- see the 2007 British Open and the 1999 PGA Championship -- plus has been participating in major championships since 1996. Can he put the heartbreaking loss at Carnoustie last season and his disqualification at the 2007 PGA Championship behind him and finally come out on top this year? I think so.

Melanie Hauser
PGATOUR.com Correspondent
Pick: Scott Verplank
Isn't this always the question every major? The cast of hopefuls keeps getting bigger with Scott Verplank, Steve Stricker, K.J. Choi, Aaron Baddeley, Hunter Mahan and maybe even Woody Austin joining Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia, Stewart Cink, Luke Donald and best-player-who-still-hasn't-won-a-major Hall of Famer Colin Montgomerie. Good thoughts all, with Stricker being the easy pick. But ... forget about the 40-something tag -- sheer toughness tells me it's gonna be Verplank.

Dave Lagarde
PGATOUR.com Correspondent
Pick: Aaron Baddeley
He got a taste at the U.S. Open last year. The way he can roll the ball indicates something major is just around the corner.

John Maginnes
PGATOUR.com Contributor
Pick: None
I don't think we are going to have a first-time major champion in '08. Considering the fact that we had three last year this could be going out on a limb. But to offer up Angel Cabrera and Zach Johnson a year ago would have required a time machine. Since I am neither Bill nor Ted, I am going with the odds. Tiger wins two -- the Masters and U.S. Open. A veteran, probably Vijay, clips Monty at Royal Birkdale. And Mike Weir wins the PGA Championship at Oakland Hills.

Helen Ross
PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents
Pick: Justin Rose
The easy out here would be to say Sergio Garcia, who has been close too many times not to break through eventually. And I do believe his time will come. My pick here, though, is Justin Rose, who won the European Tour Order of Merit last year despite playing in just 12 events. Not to mention, he had top-12s in all four majors last year -- including a tie for fifth at the Masters.

Dave Shedloski
PGATOUR.com Senior Correspondent
Pick: Paul Casey
This answer is predicated on Tiger Woods not winning the Grand Slam, which he could well do at these venues: Augusta National, Torrey Pines (South), Royal Birkdale and Oakland Hills. If someone does break through, it's likely to be either Paul Casey or Adam Scott, but we'll go with Casey, whose all-around game might be just a shade farther along.