Expert Picks: JT Shriners Hospitals for Children Open

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Sep. 28, 2011

The Fall Series begins this week at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Here's how PGATOUR.COM's experts sized up the top contenders at TPC Summerlin.

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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. The player who wins the previous week picks last the following week.
SLEEPER PICKS
Of the players who didn't make the cut for our top picks, which have the best chance as sleepers? To see who the experts picked, click here.

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Expert Picks: Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open

Expert	Pick order	Player selected
Chris Dunham			NICK WATNEY. Watney's won twice in 2011 already and is heading to TPC Summerlin, where he tied for sixth last year. The four-time TOUR winner is 11th in the world and will play in his first Presidents Cup later this Fall.

Amanda Balionis			SCOTT PIERCY. Piercy, who was born in Las Vegas, is heading home this week. Will Lady Luck smile on him and give him his second TOUR victory? He's notched two top-10s already in '11.
If Balionis had the top pick ... Watney
Mike McAllister			BRENDAN STEELE. The Valero Texas Open winner has been running hot and cold lately (which rookies tend to do). He's posted top-20s in three of his last seven starts but was barely there in the others. I'm thinking this is one of his good weeks.
If McAllister had the top pick ... Watney
Anne Szeker			KYLE STANLEY. I'll call him the best rookie without a win yet this season. He made it through three stages of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, finishing no worse than T24. Best finish was runner-up at the John Deere.
If Szeker had the top pick ... Watney
John Schwarb			RYAN MOORE. Midway through the order I'm happy to get the top man in Bolton's Power Rankings. I like that Moore had two top-20s in Playoffs events yet (though he probably didn't like it) missed the TOUR Championship. The UNLV grad will be rested and ready.
If Schwarb had the top pick ... Moore
Helen Ross			MARTIN LAIRD. The Scotsman picked up his first PGA TOUR win here in 2009 and lost in a playoff a year ago. Laird's highest score in 12 rounds at TPC Summerlin is a 70 and he's a cumulative 40 under in his last two starts so there's a considerable comfort zone.
If Ross had the top pick ... Laird
Lauren Deason			GEORGE MCNEILL. He's won more money than anyone else in the past four years of the Fall Series, thanks in part to a victory at the 2007 Frys.com Open in Las Vegas. McNeill lost in a playoff at the JT Shriners Hospital for Children Open in 2010 as well.
If Deason had the top pick ... Watney
Brian Wacker			JEFF OVERTON. Overton's been steady so far this season, picking up a third-place finish at the AT&T National in July and three other top-25s. He also tied for 19th at TPC Summerlin in 2007.
If Wacker had the top pick ... Watney
Ryan Smithson			JHONATTAN VEGAS. He's been real quiet since his epochal January. Some even had him as a potential Presidents Cup team member, but those plans never worked out. A change of scenery to the desert setting at TPC Summerin is exactly what he needs.
If Smithson had the top pick ... Vegas
John Swantek			CHAD CAMPBELL. Four time PGA TOUR winner who's heading to Las Vegas on a hot streak - he's made the cut in his last seven starts, including a T5 at the British Open in July. Campbell advanced to the third event in the Playoffs.
If Swantek had the top pick ... Watney