Expert Picks: Travelers Championship

text size

Editor's note: PGATOUR.com has tried to make our experts work a little harder when they make their picks each week. The favorite can be anyone in the field, although Tiger Woods can only be used seven times during the year. Sleepers can't have won in 2008 or had a top-10 in their last five starts. A sleeper can't be ranked in the top 30 in the field, either.

• Who could surprise? Sleeper picks
• Join our new Facebook fan page and get in the discussion: Give us your picks on Facebook

T.J. Auclair
PGATOUR.com Interactive Producer
Pick: Kenny Perry
He's got to be refreshed after finally taking a week off. He skipped trying to qualify for the U.S. Open because his primary goal is to make the U.S. Ryder Cup team to represent his country in his home state of Kentucky when the bienniel matches head to Valhalla Golf Club in the fall. So far, he's on track. And his track record in Hartford is pretty darn good with five top-10 finishes over the years.

Lauren Deason
PGATOUR.com Editorial Coordinator
Pick: Stewart Cink
How can you not pick Stewart Cink? He already has one win at the Travelers Championship (back in 1997) and a handful of additional top 20s at TPC River Highlands. Not to mention Cink tied for 14th at the U.S. Open last week, tied for third at the Masters and had two runner-up finishes at the start of the year. I've picked him before, and I'll pick him again because Cink is due for a win this season.

Melanie Hauser
PGATOUR.com Correspondent
Pick: Stewart Cink
He's a former champ here who's been playing very well, including closing out Torrey with a 67. I thought about Kenny Perry, Eric Axley and even defending champ Hunter Mahan but I kept going back to Cink, who's had four "almosts" this year.

Dave Lagarde
PGATOUR.com Correspondent
Pick: Carl Pettersson
It's hard to ignore Hunter Mahan's performance here the last two years, but I liked the way the big Swede finished the U.S. Open, and I think the carryover will suit him well this week. He finished tied for 15th on this track in 2007.

John Maginnes
PGATOUR.com Contributor
Pick: Kenny Perry
He is the hottest player on the planet not named Tiger. He's rested after a week off, and he's just had his best stretch of golf in years. This sounds like a recipe for more great stuff out of the Ryder Cup hopeful. A win in Hartford would make KP only the third multiple winner of the year and, more importantly, secure a spot on the Ryder Cup team. Look for the good stuff to continue for the old man from Kentucky.

Win McMurry
Host, PGA TOUR Today
Pick: Stewart Cink
While he is sixth in the FedExCup standings, he has not yet recorded a victory in 2008. He has two runner-up finishes and six top-10s. At the Travelers Championship, Cink has three top-10s in the last ten years, and he won here in 1997. I think he's ready to win again in Connecticut.

Scott Pianowski
PGATOUR.com Fantasy Insider
Pick: Kenny Perry
It's been a wonderful revival season for him (15 straight cuts made; a win and a second over the last month), and he's got a solid history in Connecticut (three top 10s this decade). The week of rest doesn't hurt the cause, either. Perry's Ryder Cup candidacy should get another boost here.

Helen Ross
PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents
Pick: Carl Pettersson
He's been one round away from making a splash in 2008, and last week's U.S. Open was no exception. He's coming off a tie for sixth at Torrey PInes last week that included a 68 in the final round, and he's had three top-10s in his last six starts. Watch out.

Dave Shedloski
PGATOUR.com Senior Correspondent
Pick: Carl Pettersson
He's finally getting used to the new driver that he put in his bag almost two months ago, which he showed with a splendid U.S. Open. We'll see if there's a La Jolla hangover or a June boom for the native Swede.

John Swantek
PGATOUR.com Productions Fantasy Insider
Pick: Ryan Moore
Nothing in his stats this year suggests that he's close to winning, but trust me, he's close. If Adam Scott's playoff prayer weren't answered in Dallas, Moore would probably already be in the winner's circle. One of his four career runner-up finishes came at River Highlands in 2006, so he likes the track. Healthy now, one of the sport's greatest amateur competitors grabs his first professional victory.