PGA Tour Golf Top Story News Leaderboard Player Bios Schedule Statistics Field Results Tee Times Top-10 Finishes World Money Leaders World Rankings Preview Recap Odds PGA European - WGC - Bridgestone Invitational Preview From The Sports Network DATES: Thursday, August 2nd through Sunday, August 5th SITE: Firestone Country Club (South Course), Akron, Ohio COURSE ARCHITECT: Bert Way (1929), Robert Trent Jones (1960) PAR: 70 YARDAGE: 7,400 Hole-By-Hole: 1 - Par 4 399 yds 10 - Par 4 410 yds 2 - Par 5 526 yds 11 - Par 4 418 yds 3 - Par 4 442 yds 12 - Par 3 180 yds 4 - Par 4 471 yds 13 - Par 4 471 yds 5 - Par 3 200 yds 14 - Par 4 467 yds 6 - Par 4 469 yds 15 - Par 3 221 yds 7 - Par 3 219 yds 16 - Par 5 667 yds 8 - Par 4 482 yds 17 - Par 4 400 yds 9 - Par 4 494 yds 18 - Par 4 464 yds ------------- ------------- 35 3,702 yds 35 3,698 yds Annual:  14th Television:  Golf Channel - Thursday/Friday -- 2-6 p.m. (et),   - Saturday/Sunday -- 12-1:30 p.m. (et),   CBS - Saturday/Sunday -- 2-6 p.m. (et) Defending Champion:  Adam Scott Runner-Up:  Luke Donald, Rickie Fowler Tournament Record:  259 (Tiger Woods, 2000) 54-Hole Record:  192 (Tiger Woods, 2000) 36-Hole Record:  125 (Tiger Woods, 2000) Course Record:  61 (Jose Maria Olazabal, 1990; Tiger Woods, 2000) Total Purse:  $8,500,000 Shares:  1st Place - $1,400,000; 2nd Place - $840,000; 3rd Place - $480,000 2011 Finish Player Score Player Score Adam Scott 263 Zach Johnson 270 Luke Donald 267 Kyung-tae Kim 270 Rickie Fowler 267 Rory McIlroy 270 Jason Day 268 David Toms 271 Ryo Ishikawa 268 Lee Westwood 271 Past WGC - Bridgestone Invitational Winners Year Winner (Score) -- Runners-Up 2011 Adam Scott (263) -- Luke Donald, Rickie Fowler 2010 Hunter Mahan (268) -- Ryan Palmer 2009 Tiger Woods (268) -- Robert Allenby, Padraig Harrington 2008 Vijay Singh (270) -- Stuart Appleby, Lee Westwood 2007 Tiger Woods (272) -- Rory Sabbatini, Justin Rose 2006 *Tiger Woods (270) -- Stewart Cink 2005 Tiger Woods (274) -- Chris DiMarco 2004 Stewart Cink (269) -- Rory Sabbatini, Tiger Woods 2003 Darren Clarke (268) -- Jonathan Kaye 2002 Craig Parry (268) -- Robert Allenby, Fred Funk 2001 *Tiger Woods (268) -- Jim Furyk 2000 Tiger Woods (259) -- Justin Leonard, Phillip Price 1999 Tiger Woods (270) -- Phil Mickelson * - Won in Playoff Note:Formerly called WGC - NEC Invitational (1999-2005). Top Contenders in the Field Player 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Adam Scott --- T-64 T-55 T-36 T-10 T-36 T-56 T-51 T-9 Won Rickie Fowler --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- T-33 T-2 Luke Donald --- --- T-16 T-6 T-8 T-22 --- T-45 T-46 T-2 Jason Day --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- T-22 T-4 Ryo Ishikawa --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- T-53 T-4 Rory McIlroy --- --- --- --- --- --- --- T-68 T-9 T-6 Zach Johnson --- --- T-22 T-9 T-36 T-11 T-16 T-15 T-33 T-6 Lee Westwood T-15 T-46 T-9 T-24 wd T-22 T-2 9th wd T-9 Steve Stricker --- --- --- --- --- T-41 T-43 T-6 T-9 14th Matt Kuchar T-38 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- T-9 T-19 Bubba Watson --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- T-22 T-21 Retief Goosen T-11 T-17 wd T-58 T-48 T-61 T-4 T-29 T-3 T-23 Bo Van Pelt --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- T-3 T-23 Jim Furyk T-6 T-6 T-22 T-24 3rd --- T-27 T-51 T-6 T-23 Nick Watney --- --- --- --- --- T-61 --- T-36 T-16 T-23 Martin Kaymer --- --- --- --- --- --- T-68 T-60 T-22 T-29 Justin Rose 5th T-33 --- --- --- T-2 T-27 T-29 T-19 T-33 Simon Dyson --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- T-71 T-33 Hunter Mahan --- --- --- --- --- T-22 T-10 T-4 Won T-37 Louis Oosthuizen --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- T-9 T-37 Geoff Ogilvy --- --- --- T-41 T-36 T-51 T-68 T-22 T-22 T-37 Ernie Els T-15 T-17 T-65 --- T-31 T-22 T-27 T-29 T-22 T-37 Tiger Woods 4th T-4 T-2 Won Won Won --- Won T-78 T-37 Dustin Johnson --- --- --- --- --- --- --- T-22 15th T-48 Phil Mickelson T-9 T-23 T-43 T-51 T-54 T-46 T-4 T-58 T-46 T-48 Sergio Garcia T-58 T-30 T-16 T-13 T-22 T-20 T-36 T-22 T-22 T-53 Bill Haas --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- T-33 T-63 Graeme McDowell T-52 --- --- wd --- --- T-56 T-45 T-22 65th Ian Poulter --- T-33 --- T-33 T-13 T-30 T-16 T-15 T-65 T-68 Jason Dufner --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- Webb Simpson --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- Sports Network Selections Pick to Win - Zach Johnson Darkhorse - Ian Poulter   Last Week's Pick to Win (Matt Kuchar) - Tied for 43th Last Week's Darkhorse (Scott Brown) - Missed the cut   NOTES:The PGA and European Tours travel to Ohio this week for the final tune- up before the PGA Championship, the WGC - Bridgestone Invitational. This week's event boasts a remarkable field, as the top players in the world travel to Firestone Country Club in Akron. This is the third WGC event of 2012. Earlier this season, Hunter Mahan captured the Accenture Match Play Championship, and Justin Rose won the Cadillac Championship. This event is co-sanctioned with the PGA Tour by the European Tour, Asian PGA, Japan Golf Tour, PGA Tour of Australasia and the Southern Africa PGA Tour. World No. 2 Tiger Woods has recorded seven wins and 10 top-five finishes in his 12 appearances at this event, going a combined 84-under par in them. Of the 48 rounds of golf, 18 have been in the 70s and 30 in the 60s. His overall earnings are $9,446,875. Woods has dominated the World Golf Championships, posting 16 wins and 27 top-10 finishes in 38 career starts. Players qualify for this lucrative event if they are playing members of the 2011 U.S. and International Presidents Cup teams. If not otherwise eligible, players also make the field if they are ranked among the top 50, including any players tied for 50th place, in the world rankings as of Monday, July 23, 2012 and Monday, July 30, 2012; or tournament winners of worldwide events since the prior year's Bridgestone Invitational. The 72-hole, stroke-play format features no cut. The World Series of Golf was held at Firestone Country Club from 1962-98, while the PGA Championship was also held at Firestone in 1960, 1966 and 1975. The first three years of this event were held at Firestone Country Club on the South Course. After a one-year stop at Sahalee Country Club in Washington in 2002, the event moved back to its present location at Firestone in 2003. This will be the 58th time in Firestone South history that the course is hosting a PGA Tour event. The first was the Rubber City Open from 1954-59. Last year, Adam Scott opened with a 62 and held at least a share of the lead after every round. He closed with a 65 to end the tournament at 17-under-par 263 for a 4-stroke win over Luke Donald and Rickie Fowler. The victory was Scott's eighth on the PGA Tour. In 2010, Hunter Mahan fired a 6-under 64 in the final round to come from three shots back and win. Mahan finished at 12-under 268 for his third career PGA Tour win and second of 2010. His first victory at one of the lucrative World Golf Championships events was worth $1.4 million. Mahan's 64 was the lowest final-round score by a winner in tournament history. In 2009, Woods fired a final-round, 5-under 65 to come from behind and win his seventh title at this event. He finished at 12-under 268 and won by four over Robert Allenby and Padraig Harrington. Woods became the first player in PGA Tour history to win seven times on the same course. He is one victory away from joining Sam Snead as the only golfers to ever win the same championship eight times. In 2008, Vijay Singh parred the final five holes to defeat Stuart Appleby and Lee Westwood by one stroke. Singh closed with a 2-under 68 to complete the event at 10-under-par 270. He was the only player in the field to fire four rounds in the 60s. The win was Singh's 32nd on the PGA Tour, giving him the most titles for a foreign-born player. He has since added two more wins to stand at 34 victories. Singh became the oldest player to win a World Golf Championships event at 45 years, five months and 12 days old. Only five players have competed in all 13 Bridgestone Invitationals: Appleby, Jim Furyk, Padraig Harrington, Phil Mickelson and Lee Westwood. The PGA and European Tours will be in South Carolina next week at the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Resort for the final major of the year, the PGA Championship. Keegan Bradley captured his first major championship at the PGA last year. 07/31 13:19:55 ET As of July 31, 2012, at 01:20 PM ET