Predictions: The Barclays

It’s almost time for the first event of the FedEx Cup playoffs to get underway, with The Barclays getting started tomorrow morning at Liberty National in New Jersey.

Therefore, it’s Wednesday, and we all know what time it is: prediction time!

With that in mind, let’s get it started:

The Sleeper

This guy has been my sleeper pick before, but Brandt Snedeker played very well last week at the Wyndham (T5), and I look for him to have a strong showing again this week.

Snedeker is a young star in the game that is due to have another breakout performance sooner than later, like he did at the Masters last year. He’s certainly got the tools to win, and maybe a little momentum is what he needed to contend in the FedEx Cup playoffs.

This certainly hasn’t been his best season overall, and though he doesn’t drive the ball a long way, I think his putting gives him a chance this week at Liberty National.The field is obviously stronger this week than it was in Greensboro, but he’s shown before that he can go toe-to-toe with the greatest in the world, as he did at Augusta in 2008.

He’s playing with a lot of confidence right now, so look for a strong finish out of the Vanderbilt alum this week.

The Contenders

Here are your contenders this week, and since these are about even with who I think the contenders should be, we’ll do these according to the Vegas odds: Tiger Woods, Padraig Harrington, Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker, Sergio Garcia, Hunter Mahan, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen. Honorable mention: Zach Johnson, Vijay Singh.

Now it’s time to start eliminating them one by one, until we find our winner.

It’s hard to imagine the pain that Garcia felt last week following the tough Sunday, which concluded with the sand shot on the 18th, that rolled sort of around the hole but didn’t go in. He’ll still be thinking about what might have been last week, and won’t be your winner this week. Though I think he’ll still likely have a good finish.

Harrington was certainly as hot as anyone on tour for a few weeks there, and one has to wonder whether or not that will continue this week. There’s always one hole that seems to frustrate Paddy to no end, with him knocking that shot into the water after that whole timing stuff, and doing the same thing on a par 3 at Hazeltine. I think he’ll cool off a little this week (and no, I don’t mean by hitting one into the water), but still play well enough to contend going into the weekend.

I think Mickelson hasn’t completely got back into the swing of things yet, though I certainly expect him to have a better finish here than he did at the PGA (73rd at +12). He’s been going through so much off the course, that he still hasn’t been able to get back into the flow yet, and I think he’s still a tournament or two away from really contending for the win.

Goosen is a guy I just don’t ever know about. You want to pick him because he just hammers the ball off the tee, but you’re not sure if other parts of the game are going to hold up. Despite shooting 7-over par at the PGA, he’s been playing his best golf the last few months, and could definitely find a way to win this week. But there’s still a few guys left that have better chances. I predict a top 20 finish for Retief.

The Final Four – Woods, Mahan, Stricker, Els

Stricker needs a big win. Badly. People (or those that haven’t picked Tiger) have been picking him to win everything the last few weeks, whether it be the Bridgestone or the PGA. He’s second in the FedEx Cup standings, behind Mr. Woods, and if he could kick off the playoffs with a win, then everybody else better look out. Unfortunately, I can’t pick him this week.

In my opinion, it’s always about the putting with Els. If he can putt the ball well, this guy always has a chance to win. He finished tied for sixth at the PGA Championship, and will ride that into this week, and look to seal the deal with a big victory. If he can make big putts in the early rounds, and at least put himself into contention heading into Sunday, then he could have a legitimate shot at winning this thing. But, there are two guys I like better this week.

The Winner – Woods or Mahan?

Here’s a rundown of the last five tournaments Mahan has played in (excluding the British Open, because, well, Tiger missed the cut too):

PGA Championship – T16

WGC Bridgestone Invitational – T4

AT&T National – 2

Travelers Championship – T4

U.S. Open – T6

Pretty impressive, huh? He’s simply playing some of the best golf of his career right now, and is due for a breakout performance against the world’s best.

But honestly folks, I can’t pick him.

I think Tiger may do something this week he hasn’t done in a while. And that’s streamroll the entire field. Remember those days when he use to win tournaments by 12 or 15 strokes? I don’t think that happens to that extreme this week, but I’m gonna say he wins by a comfortable margin.

Plain and simple, Tiger is pissed. He’ll remember what happened to him at Hazeltine, and use it as motivation this week.

Tiger Woods is your winner.

Let me hear your predictions for the week!