Expert Picks: SBS Championship

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Jan. 6, 2010

The season-opening SBS Championship features winners from the 2009 season on the PGA TOUR. Here's how the PGATOUR.COM experts sized up the top contenders:

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.
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Expert picks: SBS Championship

Expert	Pick order	Player selected
Brian Wacker			GEOFF OGILVY. I like Ogilvy's chances of successfully defending in Hawaii a lot more than mine here, and he tends to play well early in the season. The course also suits his length and ball-striking.

Ryan Smithson			STEVE STRICKER. I am rather shocked Brian didn't take Strick. Ogilvy is way too streaky to pick that high. I just hope Stricker was able to practice some in Wisconsin last month. His success from 100 yards in helps him dominate long par-5s and shorter par-4s.
If Smithson had the top pick ... Stricker
Mike McAllister			NICK WATNEY. No one in the field enjoyed more success on par-5s in 2009 than Watney, who ranked second on TOUR in par-5 performance (behind John Senden). With four par 5s at Kapalua, Watney -- who finished tied for fifth in '08 -- should eat up this course.
If McAllister had the top pick ... Watney
John Swantek			DUSTIN JOHNSON. Johnson was third in driving distance and fifth in total eagles last year. The reigning Pebble Beach champion will devour Kapalua's par-5s and improve on his 11th-place finish there in '09.
If Swantek had the top pick ... Watney
Lauren Deason			ZACH JOHNSON. He's coming off a season where he won twice and picked up seven other top-10 finishes. Plus, he tied for sixth at Kapalua in '09 and won the following week at the Sony Open in Hawaii, so he's a solid pick in the Aloha State.
If Deason had the top pick ... Stricker
Nick Zaccardi			SEAN O'HAIR. Tough choice between O'Hair and Ryan Moore, but I'm going with experience at Kapalua. O'Hair's final-round 65 en route to fourth place here in '09 ignited a career season. I'm hoping for another hot start in Hawaii for the 27-year-old.
If Zaccardi had the top pick ... Stricker
Helen Ross			LUCAS GLOVER. He's a solid ball-striker who comes to Maui -- where he tied for sixth in 2006 -- rested and relaxed after taking an extended break from the game for the second straight year. That was a recipe for success in 2009.
If Ross had the top pick ... Stricker