Tour Insider

Sony Open Picks

Posted: January 13, 2009

Let’s get this straight: Our “Pick One” for the week – Adam Scott – spent more time online chatting with potential love interest Kate Hudson than on the Mercedes-Benz leaderboard. Such is the capricious world of fantasy golf.

The good news is we inch closer to reality this week with the full-field Sony Open.

Pick a Fivesome: We know K.J. Choi and Rory Sabbatini may not be in mid-season form, but you have to acknowledge there are horses for courses and these two love Waialae. Before his 2008 victory, Choi steadily improved his play on the layout, finishing T-4 in 2007 and T-13 in 2006, and Sabbatini has a pair of runner-ups in Hawaii.

Picks: A) Geoff Ogilvy; B) K.J. Choi; C) Andres Romero; D) Rory Sabbatini

Note: One player from four categories based on the World Golf Ranking (1-10, A; 11-20, B; 21-30, C; 31-40, D). Points awarded on money earned ($1 = 1 point).

Salary Cap: Yes, we’re going with Ogilvy for the second consecutive week, but in case you missed it the well-spoken Aussie did a number on the winners-only opener with a combination of power (11th in driving distance), accuracy (T-8 in fairways hit and greens hit) and touch (T-3 in total putts). Sony is also a good place to take a flyer with a few rookies. We expect big years from Colt Knost and Webb Simpson. At $250K per it’s like a 2-for-1 sale.

Picks: Geoff Ogilvy, Davis Love III, Luke Donald, Colt Knost, Webb Simpson,

Note: Five players with a $10 million cap based on 2008 earnings. Rookies without 2008 earnings will be priced at $250,000. Standings based on overall team earnings.

Pick One: Ernie Els. It’s great to hear the “Big Easy” is back to his relaxed ways, a demeanor that should play well amid the palms. Of course, Els also has a solid resume at Waialae, where he has two victories (2003 and ’04) and hasn’t finished outside the top 5 in five starts.

Note: Players must be picked before the start of the season and used only once. Standings based on total earnings.

In addition to my PGA Tour Pick One, the GolfChannel.com staff will be offering up their picks to win. A player can be picked a maximum of five times. We will be keeping a running tally of the monies earned each week. The participants include: Brian Hewitt, GolfChannel.com Insider; Jay Coffin, Editorial Director; Mercer Baggs, Editorial Manager; Brian Koressel, Senior Producer; Dena Davis, Assistant Editor; Erik Peterson, Travel Editor; Jerry Foltz, special contributor.

STAFF PICKS:

Name	Player Pick	Reason	Money
Rex Hoggard	Davis Love III	Kapalua was a big test for the veteran and his tie for second proved he’s ready physically and mentally to retake his spot among the game’s best. Besides, he’s scheduled to take a two-week snowboarding trip to the Canadian Rockies after the Sony so you may want to grab him now.	$57,500
Brian Hewitt	K.J. Choi	I like the defending champion mainly because of the 66 he fired Saturday at Kapalua last week. That round included six birdies in a seven-hole stretch which tells me Choi is swinging a “live bat” right now.	$132,000
Jay Coffin	Stewart Cink	Several missed cuts at Waialae are a concern but consecutive top-10 finishes in 2005, 2006 prove that he knows how to play the track well.	$261,000
Mercer Baggs	Davis Love III	It's hard to pick against Els at this venue, but I like the way Love is playing at the moment.	$57,500
Brian Koressel	K.J. Choi	Here’s believing both Choi and I will go back-to-back: him repeating at Waialae and me picking two straight winners to start ’09.	$1,120,000
Dena Davis	Davis Love III	DL-3 set the 18-hole course record at Waialae in 1994 (12-under 60, par 72). Fourteen years after the fact -- and five Oahu top-10s and a runner-up later, look for this old dog to continue his new tricks.	$132,000
Erik Peterson	Ernie Els	I don’t mean to sound like a broken record, but you just can’t bet against Ernie in Hawaii.	$189,250
Jerry Foltz	Ernie Els	Even though his putter has frostbite, I still think Ernie is the man to beat in Hawaii.	$189,250