Sleeper picks: Valero Texas Open at La Cantera GC

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Oct. 7, 2008

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 could 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.

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T.J. Auclair
PGATOUR.COM Interactive Producer
Pick: Tommy Armour III
Call me crazy, but I'm liking the Texas guys in Texas this week. Justin Leonard is my pick to win, but I expect Tommy Armour III will have something to say before the dust settles. Armour won the Valero Texas Open in 2003. In 21 starts this season on TOUR, he has picked up five top-10 finishes. A win for Armour would be the icing on the cake to a very nice season.

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Lauren Deason
PGATOUR.COM Editorial Coordinator
Pick: Tommy Armour III
The 2003 Valero Texas Open winner, Armour has also had an impressive season in 2008. He's top-10ed five times, including a runner-up finish at the Travelers Championship and a tie for third at AT&T National in late June and early July respectively. Recently, Armour hasn't fared so well -- he's missed two cuts in five starts -- but he knows how to win at LaCantera GC.

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Melanie Hauser
PGATOUR.COM Correspondent
Pick: Lee Janzen
What had been a great sleeper list lost Davis Love III and David Toms with recent top 10s. Ditto for Beemer and a bunch of others. So we head to the two-time Open champ, who slipped into the field as an alternate. He's been up and down this season but keeps showing signs of a great week.

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Dave Lagarde
PGATOUR.COM Correspondent
Pick: J.J. Henry
This former TCU Horned Frog returns to the Lone Star State where he has had some success. He has never missed a cut in seven tries in San Antonio with four top 10s on his resume.

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John Maginnes
PGATOUR.COM Contributor
Pick: Rich Beem

He has been close a few times this year but hasn't been able to put it together for four rounds. He is the type of player who plays his best golf when his back is against the wall. Beemer certainly has the game to compete on any course on TOUR, and this tournament has been the spring board for struggling stars to re-energize their careers.

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Win McMurry
Host, PGA TOUR Today
Pick: Dean Wilson

How could someone not take Wilson in San Antonio? He's finished in the top 10 every year he's played.

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Scott Pianowski
The Fantasy Insider
Pick: Heath Slocum
His game has fallen off a bit of late after a tremendous spring and summer (16 straight cuts made), but here's a call for Slocum to get back on track. He's been a four-round story in three of his last four visits here (fifth, 13th, 10th), and you always have a chance when your driver and irons are reliable (fifth in tee accuracy, 29th in GIR).

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Helen Ross
PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents
Pick: Steve Elkington
An Australian who has lived in the Lone Star State since he graduated from the University of Houston in 1985, Elkington has three top 10s in the Valero Texas Open. He's got top-20 finishes in two of his last five starts, too, including a tie for 15th last week.

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Dave Shedloski
PGATOUR.COM Senior Correspondent
Pick: Dean Wilson
You can't ignore those four top-10 finishes in his four appearances at La Cantera, one of which was a tie for second in 2006. He's not a Texan, which almost seems like a prerequisite in this event (see Justin Leonard, Bart Bryant, Tommy Armour III), but he might move there if he keeps this up. A couple of third-place finishes this year means he's getting closer to that second TOUR win.

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John Swantek
PGA TOUR Productions Fantasy Insider
Pick:Dean Wilson

Outside of Justin Leonard, he's been as sharp as anyone at LaCantera with four straight top-seven finishes. Wilson makes a ton of birdies (ninth on TOUR with 336) and will be free to attack LaCantera, a benign par 70 where the average winning score over the last five years has been 19 under. Deano delivers this week.

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