Sleeper Picks: Pebble Beach

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T.J. Auclair
PGATOUR.com Interactive Producer
Pick: Davis Love III
It's his first start since the Deutsche Bank Championship in September -- the third event of the inaugural PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup (long time ago, right?). Realistically, Love has no business coming back from a roughly five-month layoff due to injury to win. But, if there is a place Davis could pull off the unlikely feat, it's Pebble Beach. He's won the tournament twice before and tied for fourth just last year. He could get a lot out of his game, which he's probably not expecting much from this week.

Lauren Deason
PGATOUR.com Editorial Coordinator
Pick: John Mallinger
This week my sleeper pick was coincidentally narrowed down to two young John Ms from Long Beach, Calif. There's John Merrick, who has tied for 32nd and tied for 16th in his two starts in 2008. He's not to be confused with John Mallinger, another California native who hasn't missed a TOUR cut since mid-October. Since Mallinger's best career PGA TOUR finish came as a solo third in last year's AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am -- a tournament he led after a first-round 65 -- the pick goes to Mallinger.

Melanie Hauser
PGATOUR.com Correspondent
Pick: Jonathan Byrd
Rules prevent several choices, including Steve Elkington, and we can't make the leap to Greg Norman, who is dusting off his game. So, we go with Byrd, who's played well here before and had it going last week until the final round. His college teammate Charles Warren top-10ed last week, why not Byrd here?

Dave Lagarde
PGATOUR.com Correspondent
Pick: Davis Love III
He's making his first start of 2008 in a perfect spot where he has a rich history of past success, including victories in 2001 and 2003. He's hungry to make an immediate splash and get involved in the conversation about the better players in the game once again.

John Maginnes
PGATOUR.com Contributor
Pick: Davis Love III
Davis Love III is making his return to the TOUR this week. According to the scuttlebutt around Sea Island, he is in the best shape of his life. He loves the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, and if he can shake the rust off quickly, he would make for one heck of a darkhorse this week. That is, of course, if he is not too broken up by the fact that the Tar Heels are going to get pounded by Duke on Wednesday night.

Win McMurry
Host, PGA TOUR Today
Pick: John Mallinger
He was one of the top rookies in 2007. He finished third here last year so he has good vibes coming back to the Monterey Peninsula. He hasn't missed a cut yet this year, but this week might be his week to do something impressive.

Scott Pianowski
The Fantasy Insider
Pick: Tim Clark
Tim Clark isn't a big hitter by any means, but true ball strikers get a leg up at Pebble Beach, a short-but-tight track. He's played very well his last three times in this event, which makes me wonder why he's not here every season.

Helen Ross
PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents
Pick: Davis Love III
This would be a great week for two Tar Heel wins -- UNC over Duke on Wednesday and Davis at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am on Sunday. He's been on the DL for five months, and I think Davis will come out hungry. He's also a two-time champion on the Monterey Peninsula, so the good vibes are there.

Dave Shedloski
PGATOUR.com Senior Correspondent
Pick: Tim Clark
I thought seriously about Greg Norman, the ultimate sleeper in this field, who is returning to Pebble Beach for the first time since the 2000 U.S. Open. But the Shark might be just slightly too somnambulant. Clark needs to be rousted from his offseason slumber, and this is a good spot for him. The South African, making his second start of 2008, has finished 12th or better in three of his four starts in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. He plays well on hard and fast layouts, but traditionally soggy Pebble hasn't seemed to slow him down.

John Swantek
PGA TOUR Productions Fantasy Insider
Pick: Nick Watney
Besides New Orleans - where he won last year - this might be the favorite stop for Watney, a northern California guy who has been playing here since his college days at Fresno State. He's just an average putter, but seems to handle these sometimes bumpy greens well; see the tie for seventh in 2006. I feel another top-10 finish this week.