Expert Picks: Humana Challenge

Each week during the official PGA Tour season, CBSSports.com's Steve Elling identifies nine players to watch in three distinct categories -- favorites, tweeners and long shots. The picks are based on a combination of homework, guesswork and just plain instinct. Odds cited courtesy of Golfodds.com and Las Vegas Hotel and Casino.

At La Quinta, California, par 72.

Favorites
	Bill Haas He’s been the most dominant player here for two years, winning in 2010 and losing in a three-man playoff last year. In seven tries, has never missed a cut or finished outside the top 35. Pretty good considering this thing is usually a track meet. Odds: (20/1)
	Matt Kuchar The tour’s top-10 machine has finished T7 and T2 in Palm Springs the past two years. He didn’t win an event in 2011 after topping the tour money list in 2010, so this week could offer a couple of nice career-building opportunities. Odds: (15/1)
	Phil Mickelson Easily the iffiest pick on this list, but are you going to leave a two-time event champion off the list of favorites? He hasn’t played here since 2007 and is coming off a flat 2011 in which he barely contended over the final six months of the year. What’s he got left in the tank? Odds: (20/1)

Under the Radar
	Anthony Kim One of our top candidates for comeback player of the year, Kim is a local high-school product from the La Quinta, Calif., area who has taken heat over the past three years for skipping the tournament. Well, the last time he bothered to show up, he finished T3. Odds: (30/1)
	Kevin Na Another Southern California high school product with some familiarity. Na, who won in Las Vegas last year, has finished T5 and T8 over the last two years in Palm Springs. So he seems to like the desert locales. Odds: (40/1)
	Brian Gay On three courses where length doesn’t matter at all, and the game is usually decided by the short clubs, Gay is always a solid bet. One of the best putters in the game, Gay has amassed three straight top-20 finishes in Palm Springs, including T5 last year. Odds: (30/1)

Dark Horses for Courses
	Justin Leonard Leonard finally showed signs of life in the Disney season finale last fall, and usually makes some noise at the former Bob Hope Classic. The veteran has four top-10 finishes in Palm Springs, which ties for most in the field. He won here in 2005. Odds: (No line)
	Charley Hoffman Another Southern California kid, Hoffman has been positively schitzo in this event, winning it in 2007 and finishing T8 the next year. In 2010 and 2011, though, he missed the cut. Odds: (60/1)
	Derek Lamely The darkest of the dark in this category, Lamely nonetheless has finished T13 and T18 the past two years in Palm Springs, which is better than all but a tiny handful of players. Not a bad reach this week. Odds: (No line)