The tournament before a major is always a tough one to pick. Some guys like to try and catch some momentum, others use them as a warmup to work out the kinks. So who will have his mind on the John Deere Classic this week and not across the pond on next week's Open Championship? Our panel makes the picks.
Matt Barrie, SportsCenter anchor
Steve Stricker: They use driver on just about every hole, and are usually 75 yards shorter off the tee. Yet the "old guy" golfer ends up scoring on just as many holes young long hitters. That's why Steve Stricker is my pick this week. He's won the John Deere Classic three times and has finished in the top 12 in the last six years. It's time for a veteran to show the young guns some local knowledge.
Jonathan Coachman, SportsCenter anchor
Brian Harman: I am just taking a flyer on my pick this week. A lot of players are focused and want that final spot to the Open Championship. I think with his finish at the Travelers lefty Brian Harman is in position to do well again.
Michael Collins, ESPN.com senior golf analyst
Scott Brown: This may be considered a sleeper pick since his best finishes so far this year are two ties for 10th, but I'm here to tell you Scott Brown on the verge of a breakout. In his last 12 starts, he's only missed one cut, and twice he's finished inside the top 15 (Wells Fargo and St. Jude). In three starts at this event he's had two top-7 finishes (last year a T-5) so you know he's comfortable on this track going low.
We need to open a formal investigation into Bob Harig. I think he's either deflating his computer before making picks or using a banned substance in the computer's memory. In any case he must be stopped. Does anyone know a judge who'd issue a quick injunction?
Bob Harig, ESPN.com senior golf writer
Kevin Kisner: Perhaps a week too late, but the idea here is to go with the hot hand. Kisner lost in a playoff at the Greenbrier Classsic, his third playoff defeat in eight starts. The man deserves something to go his way, and that usually happens when you keep putting yourself in position.
Now up to 36th in the world, including his playoff loss at the RBC Heritage, Kisner has six top-12 finishes in that stretch. In his last 33 rounds, he has just four that were not under par. And he was 20th at the John Deere last year.
Unless he is peaking ahead to the Open Championship, Kisner has another opportunity to capture that elusive first PGA Tour victory.
Kevin Maguire, ESPN.com senior golf editor
David Hearn: In all honesty, the 36-year-old Canadian was on my list of four guys I was looking at before he lost the Greenbrier Classic in a playoff. Still in search of his first PGA Tour victory, Hearn heads back to a place where he came up on the short end of another playoff two years ago, along with Zach Johnson, to Jordan Spieth. Although Spieth will be grabbing all the headlines in Illinois (and next week at the Open Championship), don't be stunned if Hearn posts his fourth top-10 of the wraparound season at this week's John Deere Classic.
Jason Sobel, ESPN.com senior golf writer
Zach Johnson: It's a long week for Zach. It started with his foundation's annual event, continues with him playing de facto host to his Midwest supports and will end with him hopping a chartered flight to Scotland. In between it all, though, his comfort level around this event should prove to be enough to help him contend -- and maybe even win.
John Ziomek, SportsCenter coordinating producer
Zach Johnson: For the last seven years, if you took anyone else here besides Steve Stricker or Zach Johnson it was a risky pick. Stricker won three times, Johnson once, but Johnson always seemed to contend. With Stricker playing a limited schedule, his name is no longer near the top of the leaderboard as often. I like Johnson to ride off with another John Deere this week.
Earlier this year, Chris Morfas commented on the Valspar Championship picks article and noted that accountability is rare these days. So in an effort at transparency, we will be updating the list below with each week's picks. Good idea, Chris.
** denotes victory
Harig: $8,839,649
-- Hyundai Tournament of Champions (Patrick Reed, $1,140,000) **
-- Sony Open in Hawaii (Charles Howell III, $42,280)
-- Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation (Bill Haas, $1,026,000) **
-- Waste Management Phoenix Open (Brendan Steele, $50,242)
-- Farmers Insurance Open (Brandt Snedeker, $76,356)
-- AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (Jimmy Walker, $63,835)
-- Northern Trust Open (Charl Schwartzel, $24,120)
-- The Honda Classic (Lee Westwood, $46,563)
-- PGA Tour/European Tour: WGC-Cadillac Championship (Dustin Johnson, $1,570,000) **
-- Valspar Championship: Luke Donald, $13,469)
-- Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard (Henrik Stenson, $680,400)
-- Valero Texas Open (Jason Kokrak, $136,400)
-- Shell Houston Open (Matt Kuchar, $13,200)
-- The Masters (Jason Day, $68,000)
-- RBC Heritage (Jim Furyk, $1,062,000) **
-- Zurich Classic of New Orleans (Sean O'Hair, $115,920)
-- WGC-Cadillac Match Play (Ian Poulter, $55,000)
-- The Players Championship (Sergio Garcia, $880,000)
-- Wells Fargo Championship (Phil Mickelson, $293,467)
-- Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial (Zach Johnson, $78,780)
-- AT&T Byron Nelson (Marc Leishman, $0)
-- Nationwide Memorial at Murfield Village (Hideki Matsuyama, $226,300)
-- FedEx/St. Jude Classic (Harris English, $16,817)
-- U.S. Open (Ryan Moore, $0)
-- Travelers Championship (Bubba Watson, $1,152,000) **
-- Greenbrier Classic ($0 , Webb Simpson)
-- John Deere Classic (Kevin Kisner)
Ziomek: $6,117,004
-- Hyundai Tournament of Champions (Matt Kuchar, $90,333)
-- Sony Open in Hawaii (Sang-Moon Bae, $12,967)
-- Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation (Ryan Palmer, $136,800)
-- Waste Management Phoenix Open (Brendan Steele, $50,242)
-- Farmers Insurance Open (Jason Day, $1,134,000) **
-- AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (Jimmy Walker, $63,835)
-- Northern Trust Open (Dustin Johnson, $589,600)
-- The Honda Classic (Paul Casey, $317,200)
-- PGA Tour/European Tour: WGC-Cadillac Championship (Patrick Reed, $83,000)
-- Valspar Championship (Padraig Harrington, $0)
-- Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard (Sean O'Hair, $40,058)
-- Valero Texas Open (Daniel Berger, $0)
-- Shell Houston Open (J.B. Holmes, $1,188,000) **
-- The Masters (Lee Westwood, $30,000)
-- RBC Heritage (Luke Donald, $100,300)
-- Zurich Classic of New Orleans (Morgan Hoffmann, $31,099)
-- WGC-Cadillac Match Play (Hideki Matsuyama, $83,000)
-- The Players Championship (Sergio Garcia, $880,000)
-- Wells Fargo Championship (Ben Martin, $27,690)
-- Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial (Jordan Spieth, $485,333)
-- AT&T Byron Nelson (Marc Leishman, $0)
-- Nationwide Memorial at Murfield Village (Brooks Koepka, $14,458)
-- FedEx/St. Jude Classic (Billy Horschel, $168,000)
-- U.S. Open (Phil Mickelson, $23,822
-- Travelers Championship (Justin Thomas, $0)
-- Greenbrier Classic ($500,267, Kevin Kisner)
-- John Deere Classic (Zach Johnson)
Barrie: $5,132,469
-- Hyundai Tournament of Champions (Billy Horschel, $70,667)
-- Sony Open in Hawaii (Matt Kuchar, $291,200)
-- Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation (Brandt Snedeker, $0)
-- Waste Management Phoenix Open (Jordan Spieth, $211,050)
-- Farmers Insurance Open (Hideki Matsuyama, $0)
-- AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (Jimmy Walker, $63,835)
-- Northern Trust Open (J.B. Holmes, $58,792)
-- The Honda Classic (Keegan Bradley, $0)
-- PGA Tour/European Tour: WGC-Cadillac Championship (Dustin Johnson, $1,570,000) **
-- Valspar Championship (Jim Furyk, $23,600)
-- Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard (Henrik Stenson, $680,400)
-- Valero Texas Open (Martin Laird, $14,839)
-- Shell Houston Open (Patrick Reed, $83,490)
-- The Masters (Bubba Watson, $40,000)
-- RBC Heritage (Russell Henley, $0)
-- Zurich Classic of New Orleans (John Peterson, $16,991)
-- WGC-Cadillac Match Play (Ian Poulter, $55,000)
-- The Players Championship (Zach Johnson, $187,500)
-- Wells Fargo Championship (Bill Haas, $14,342)
-- Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial (Kevin Na, $134,875)
-- AT&T Byron Nelson (Charley Hoffman, $530,133.33)
-- Nationwide Memorial at Murfield Village (Chris Kirk, $29,838)
-- FedEx/St. Jude Classic (Phil Mickelson, $270,600)
-- U.S. Open (Rory McIlroy, $235,316)
-- Travelers Championship (Tony Finau, $41,234)
-- Greenbrier Classic ($500,267, Kevin Kisner)
-- John Deere Classic (Steve Stricker)
Maguire: $4,300,872
-- Hyundai Tournament of Champions (Kevin Streelman, $70,667)
-- Sony Open in Hawaii (Matt Kuchar, $291,200)
-- Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation (Chris Kirk, $12,882)
-- Waste Management Phoenix Open (Justin Thomas, $94,500)
-- Farmers Insurance Open (Rickie Fowler, $13,608)
-- AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (Patrick Reed, $44,200)
-- Northern Trust Open (Bill Haas, $0)
-- The Honda Classic (Keegan Bradley, $0)
-- PGA Tour/European Tour: WGC-Cadillac Championship (Bubba Watson, $540,000)
-- Valspar Championship (Jim Furyk, $23,600)
-- Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard (Rickie Fowler, $40,058)
-- Valero Texas Open (Martin Laird, $14,839)
-- Shell Houston Open (Phil Mickelson, $83,490)
-- The Masters (Henrik Stenson, $135,000)
-- RBC Heritage (Zach Johnson, $0)
-- Zurich Classic of New Orleans (Justin Rose, $1,242,000) **
-- WGC-Cadillac Match Play (Jordan Spieth, $97,500)
-- The Players Championship (Hunter Mahan, $0)
-- Wells Fargo Championship (Rory McIlroy, $1,278,000) **
-- Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial (Brendon Todd, $18,993)
-- AT&T Byron Nelson (Tony Finau, $157,383.33)
-- Nationwide Memorial at Murfield Village (Gary Woodland, $0)
-- FedEx/St. Jude Classic (Camilo Villegas, $81,000)
-- U.S. Open (Brooks Kopeka, $113,686)
-- Travelers Championship (Branden Grace, $0)
-- Greenbrier Classic ($0, Webb Simpson)
-- John Deere Classic (David Hearn)
Collins: $3,363,057
-- Hyundai Tournament of Champions (Geoff Ogilvy, $61,000)
-- Sony Open in Hawaii (Zach Johnson, $11,760)
-- Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation (Ryan Palmer, $136,800)
-- Waste Management Phoenix Open (Jamie Donaldson, $17,658)
-- Farmers Insurance Open (Brandt Snedeker, $76,356)
-- AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (Jimmy Walker, $63,835)
-- Northern Trust Open (Dustin Johnson, $589,600)
-- The Honda Classic (Freddie Jacobsen, $0)
-- PGA Tour/European Tour: WGC-Cadillac Championship (Patrick Reed, $83,000)
-- Valspar Championship (Kevin Na, $126,429)
-- Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard (Jason Kokrak, $211,050)
-- Valero Texas Open (Matt Kuchar, $99,200)
-- Shell Houston Open (Sergio Garcia, $29,700)
-- The Masters (Rory McIlroy, $480,000)
-- RBC Heritage (Luke Donald, $100,300)
-- Zurich Classic of New Orleans (Bo Van Pelt, $0)
-- WGC-Cadillac Match Play (Hunter Mahan, $150,000)
-- The Players Championship (Henrik Stenson, $130,857)
-- Wells Fargo Championship (J.B. Holmes, $0)
-- Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial (Boo Weekley, $31,525)
-- AT&T Byron Nelson (Keegan Bradley, $62,302)
-- Nationwide Memorial at Murfield Village (Justin Rose, 669,600)
-- FedEx/St. Jude Classic (Billy Horschel, $168,000)
-- U.S. Open (Rickie Fowler, $0)
-- Travelers Championship (Tony Finau, $41,234)
-- Greenbrier Classic ($22,851, Graham DeLaet)
-- John Deere Classic ()
Coachman: $3,340,604
-- Hyundai Tournament of Champions (Jason Day, $332,667)
-- Sony Open in Hawaii (Zach Johnson, $11,760)
-- Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation (Bill Haas, $1,026,000) **
-- Waste Management Phoenix Open (Jordan Spieth, $211,050)
-- Farmers Insurance Open (Brooks Koepka, $23,940)
-- AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (Jimmy Walker, $63,835)
-- Northern Trust Open (Dustin Johnson, $589,600)
-- The Honda Classic (Billy Horschel, $0)
-- PGA Tour/European Tour: WGC-Cadillac Championship (Sergio Garcia, $72,000)
-- Valspar Championship (Justin Thomas, $126,429)
-- Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard (Sean O'Hair, $40,058)
-- Valero Texas Open (Harris English, $38,502)
-- Shell Houston Open (Rickie Fowler, $13,068)
-- The Masters (Brandt Snedeker, $0)
-- RBC Heritage (Kevin Streelman, $13,334)
-- Zurich Classic of New Orleans (Johnson Wagner, $16,991)
-- WGC-Cadillac Match Play (Patrick Reed, $85,824)
-- The Players Championship (Matt Kuchar, $0)
-- Wells Fargo Championship (Kevin Kisner, $27,690)
-- Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial (Patrick Rodgers, $12,350)
-- AT&T Byron Nelson (Ryan Palmer, $157,383.33)
-- Nationwide Memorial at Murfield Village (Kevin Na, $116,250)
-- FedEx/St. Jude Classic (Boo Weekley, $168,000)
-- U.S. Open (Phil Mickelson, $23,822)
-- Travelers Championship (Ken Duke, $147,200)
-- Greenbrier Classic ($22,851, Paul Casey)
-- John Deere Classic (Brian Harman)
Sobel: $1,863,883
-- Shell Houston Open (Paul Casey, $191,400)
-- The Masters (Jason Day, $68,000)
-- RBC Heritage (Graham DeLaet, $0)
-- Zurich Classic of New Orleans (Justin Rose, $1,242,000) **
-- WGC-Cadillac Match Play (Ryan Moore, $163,333)
-- The Players Championship (Jordan Spieth, $0)
-- Wells Fargo Championship (Bill Haas, $14,342)
-- Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial (Ryan Palmer, $0)
-- AT&T Byron Nelson (Marc Leishman, $0)
-- Nationwide Memorial at Murfield Village (Hideki Matsuyama, $226,300)
-- FedEx/St. Jude Classic (Harris English, $16,817)
-- U.S. Open (Rickie Fowler, $0)
-- Travelers Championship (Scott Langley, $41,234)
-- Greenbrier Classic ($14,405, Brendon de Jonge)
-- John Deere Classic (Zach Johnson)