Verizon Heritage & Ginn Open

[joepa66]

I'll be posting my PGA and LPGA picks in one thread.....


VERIZON HERITAGE -

Stewart Cink 16/1 - Very solid showing at The Masters as he finished T3rd, and in 8 starts this year, "Stewie" as they call him on tour has 5 Top 25s and 4 Top 10s. He's also finished T3rd in the Buick Invitational, T2nd in the PODS Championship, and was 2nd in the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship. Cink has gone about his business quietly under the radar ranking 11th in tour scoring average @ 69.99, 7th in GIR @ 70.67%, 10th in GIR from fairway bunkers @ 66.7%, and 7th in sandys with saves 64% of the time.

Vaughn Taylor 66/1 - My long shot to win, but he does have 2 Top 10s in 3 tries in the Heritage. His track record in this tournament is enviable as he tied for 4th last year @ -10, tied for 3rd in 2006 @ -13. Taylor is 57th on tour in putting average at 1.78 and 40th in scoring with a 70.49 average.

Ernie Els 12/1 - Through 5 events this year "The Big Easy" ranks 20th in the FedEx standings having won the Honda Classic earlier in the year. Since then he's done nothing very noteworthy but he's favored to win against the field. Els scoring average is 71.12, he ranks 156th in greens in regulation @ 61.11%, 163rd in driving accuracy @ 57.23%, and 179th in sand saves @ 37.50%.....so he needs another winner and the Heritage is the place for him to do that and get back on track. He has finished in the Top 10 seven times in nine tries there, having finished 2nd in 2007 by 1 stroke @ -13 to Boo Weekley, T7th in 2006 with a -10, and finished T3rd in 2004 @ -8.


GINN OPEN -

I could just sit here each week and pick what's her name to win...oh yea, Lorena! But that would be too easy, so I'm just gonna try to pick the player who has the best chance to beat her each week! By the way, from the "just so ya know" file, Ochoa has won 3 consecutive events, 5 of the last 6, and 9 of the last 14 she's played in......UNBELEIVABLE!!!

Annika Sorenstam 15/2 - A Top 10 in every event she's played in so far this year.....as perfect 5 for 5 with a win at the SBS in Turtle Bay, 4th in the Fields Open, 2nd in the HSBC Women's Championship, 9th in the Safeway, and a T2nd in the Kraft Nabisco! She is currently 2nd in scoring average @ 69.33, 1st in putting average @ 1.70, 2nd in rounds under par 17/18 for 94%, 2nd in GIR @ 76.2%, and 2nd in rounds in the 60s with 8/18 for 44%.....and people wonder what's happened to her! She missed the Ginn last year with a sore neck and was sick two weeks ago during the Nabisco but gutted it out. You have to like her fortitude!

Maria Hjorth 50/1 - Hopefully the two weeks off haven't tarnished the luster of game this year where's she landed two Top 6 place finishes in her last two tries. Hjorth's stats aren't gawdy, but she was 6th at the Safeway and 4th at the Kraft Nabisco, is T8th in scoring average at 71.00, 4th in driving with 275 yards off the tee, and T15th in putting average at 1.75! Sounds good enough to be a winner to me!

Na Yeon Choi 33/1 - Look out for this LPGA Tour rookie......she's got 3 Top 10 finishes already with a T5th in the Corona last week, T6th at the Kraft Nabisco, and a T5th in the Mastercard Classic. A power packed tiny 5'5" dynamo who is T8th in scoring @ 71.00, has a 1.79 putting average, is 2nd in Birdies with 86, T17th in rounds under par with 54%, 7th in rounds in the 60s with 8/22, and hits GIR in 68% fashion. A good young player who have proven to be very capable and play with the veterans in some big tournaments.