Expert picks: Frys.com Open

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Oct. 20, 2009

The third tournament of the Fall Series is the Frys.com Open held at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. Here's how the PGATOUR.COM experts sized up the top contenders:

EXPERT PICKS
How it works: Our 10 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.

Expert picks: Frys.com Open

Expert	Pick order	Player selected
Win McMurry			MIKE WEIR. He won the event in 2007 and followed it up with a T4 in his title defense. Look for the Canadian lefty to go low in the desert again this year as he seeks to stay inside the top 30 in the world. He currently sits right on the number.

John Swantek			TIM CLARK. The little man from South Africa came up big at the Presidents Cup and looks poised to finally shed the winless label. After 194 TOUR starts, the breakthrough happens this week in his adpoted hometown of Scottsdale.
If Swantek had the top pick ... Clark
Helen Ross			RYAN MOORE. He'll need to go low in Scottsdale, and that's what Moore did last week in Vegas. He opened with rounds of 67-63 on the way to shooting 16 under -- his winning total in Greensboro two months ago -- and tying for seventh.
If Ross had the top pick ... Weir
Brian Wacker			JUSTIN LEONARD. I thought about a momentum pick like Tom Pernice or Rickie Fowler, but Leonard is a safer bet who has a history of playing well at Grayhawk (he almost won there in '07). He's also a guy who tends to make birdies in bunches.
If Wacker had the top pick ... Clark
Ryan Smithson			CHARLEY HOFFMAN. Because Grayhawk plays to a par of 70, the importance of scoring well on the par-4s is magnified this week, and Hoffman is one of the best on TOUR on par-4s of all ranges. Added bonus: Hoff prefers desert-style courses.
If Smithson had the top pick ... Weir
Lauren Deason			RICKIE FOWLER. This 20-year-old former amateur star is coming off a tie for seventh in last week's event in Las Vegas. He's eager to prove himself on the PGA TOUR and, with a game like his, it won't be long before he's ready to win.
If Deason had the top pick ... Weir
Mike McAllister			PAT PEREZ. Since winning in January, Perez has just one top-10 finish. And in his last 12 starts, he's missed five cuts. So why do I like him here? Because he's finished top-10 in his two previous starts at Grayhawk and is a collective 21 under in those eight rounds.
If McAllister had the top pick ... Weir
Ceri Mobley			GEORGE MCNEILL. Surprised? Don't be. We already know McNeill likes the Fall Series -- it's where he got his breakthrough win. With ties for 11th and 16th in his two Frys.com Open starts, McNeill couldn't be headed to a better event fresh off a playoff loss. (I hope.)
If Mobley had the top pick ... Weir
Mark Spoor			RORY SABBATINI. He's got two top-20s in his past three TOUR starts, which incidentally were his best finishes since his win earlier this year in Texas. Are things starting to turn back around? At least two guys hope so.
If Spoor had the top pick ... Weir
T.J. Auclair			CAMERON BECKMAN. Why not? He came from nowhere to win the tournament in 2008, so why can't he do it again this time around? If Beckman plays well, he'll be the first pick in a long time to make me look good.
If Auclair had the top pick ... Weir

LAST WEEK: Win McMurry maintained her lead in the Fall Series picks standings with her pick of Jim Furyk (tie for fourth) last week at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.

Fall Series picks standings after the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open

Pos.	Expert	Wins	Top 5s	Top 10s	Top 25s	Money earned
1	Win McMurry Host, PGA TOUR Today	-	1	-	2	$310,800
2	John Swantek Fantasy Insider, PGA TOUR Productions	-	-	1	1	$179,528.57
T3	Helen Ross Chief of Correspondents, PGATOUR.COM	-	-	1	1	$113,700
T3	Brian Wacker Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM	-	-	1	1	$113,700
5	Mike McAllister Managing Editor, PGATOUR.COM	-	-	-	1	$104,470.91
6	Lauren Deason Editorial Coordinator, PGATOUR.COM	-	-	-	-	$74,540
7	Ryan Smithson Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM	-	-	-	1	$71,400
8	Ceri Mobley Associate Producer, PGATOUR.COM	-	-	-	1	$29,904
9	Mark Spoor Coordinating Producer, PGATOUR.COM	-	-	-	-	$15,225
10	T.J. Auclair Interactive Producer, PGATOUR.COM	-	-	-	-	$13,620