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PGA European - WGC - Bridgestone Invitational Preview
From The Sports Network
| DATES: Thursday, August 6th through Sunday, August 9th |
| SITE: Firestone Country Club (South Course), Akron, Ohio |
| COURSE ARCHITECT: Bert Way (1928), Robert Trent Jones (1960) |
| 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: | 11th |
| Television: | Golf Channel - Thursday/Friday -- 2-6 p.m. (et), |
| | Thursday/Friday -- 8:30-12:30 a.m. (et) - replay, |
| | Saturday/Sunday -- 12-1:30 p.m. (et), |
| | CBS - Saturday/Sunday -- 2-6 p.m. (et) |
| | Golf Channel - Saturday/Sunday -- 9:30-11:30 p.m. (et) - replay |
| Defending Champion: | Vijay Singh |
| Runner-Up: | Stuart Appleby, Lee Westwood |
| 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 - $1,434,375; 2nd Place - $850,000; 3rd Place - $499,375 |
| 2008 Finish |
| Player | Score | Player | Score |
| Vijay Singh | 270 | Darren Clarke | 273 |
| Stuart Appleby | 271 | Peter Lonard | 273 |
| Lee Westwood | 271 | Paul Casey | 274 |
| Retief Goosen | 272 | D.J. Trahan | 274 |
| Phil Mickelson | 272 | Miguel Angel Jimenez | 275 |
| | Hunter Mahan | 275 |
| Past WGC - Bridgestone Invitational Winners |
| Year | Winner (Score) -- Runners-Up |
| 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 |
| Note:Formerly called WGC - NEC Invitational (1999-2005). |
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| Top Contenders in the Field |
| Player | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
| Vijay Singh | T-15 | --- | T-13 | T-11 | T-6 | T-32 | T-3 | T-45 | T-56 | Won |
| Stuart Appleby | T-23 | T-20 | T-5 | T-42 | T-47 | T-9 | T-13 | T-71 | T-14 | T-2 |
| Lee Westwood | T-33 | T-20 | wd | T-15 | T-46 | T-9 | T-24 | wd | T-22 | T-2 |
| Phil Mickelson | 2nd | T-4 | T-8 | T-9 | T-23 | T-43 | T-51 | T-54 | T-46 | T-4 |
| Retief Goosen | --- | T-24 | 10th | T-11 | T-17 | wd | T-58 | T-48 | T-61 | T-4 |
| Darren Clarke | T-36 | T-17 | 3rd | T-19 | Won | T-14 | T-28 | wd | T-67 | T-6 |
| Paul Casey | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-17 | T-16 | T-19 | T-4 | T-51 | T-8 |
| Hunter Mahan | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-22 | T-10 |
| Miguel A. Jimenez | T-27 | 36th | T-36 | --- | --- | T-27 | 57th | T-54 | --- | T-10 |
| Sean O'Hair | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-51 | --- | --- | T-12 |
| K.J. Choi | --- | --- | --- | T-19 | T-53 | T-58 | T-51 | T-22 | T-11 | T-16 |
| Zach Johnson | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-22 | T-9 | T-36 | T-11 | T-16 |
| Henrik Stenson | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-13 | T-31 | T-41 | T-16 |
| Tim Clark | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-64 | T-48 | T-51 | 74th | T-6 | T-20 |
| Justin Leonard | 20th | T-2 | --- | T-28 | T-23 | T-50 | T-19 | T-31 | T-9 | T-20 |
| Padraig Harrington | T-12 | T-27 | T-17 | T-47 | T-39 | 74th | T-24 | T-27 | T-14 | T-20 |
| Robert Allenby | --- | T-12 | T-23 | T-2 | T-6 | T-9 | --- | T-22 | 81st | T-20 |
| Rory Sabbatini | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-51 | T-2 | T-28 | T-36 | T-2 | T-27 |
| Justin Rose | --- | --- | --- | 5th | T-33 | --- | --- | --- | T-2 | T-27 |
| Ernie Els | 5th | T-12 | T-8 | T-15 | T-17 | T-65 | --- | T-31 | T-22 | T-27 |
| Jim Furyk | T-10 | T-4 | 2nd | T-6 | T-6 | T-22 | T-24 | 3rd | --- | T-27 |
| Sergio Garcia | T-7 | --- | --- | T-58 | T-30 | T-16 | T-13 | T-22 | T-20 | T-36 |
| Trevor Immelman | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-9 | T-32 | T-19 | T-13 | T-36 | T-36 |
| Angel Cabrera | --- | --- | --- | T-19 | T-23 | T-4 | T-41 | T-4 | T-69 | T-36 |
| Anthony Kim | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-36 |
| Steve Stricker | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-41 | T-43 |
| Stewart Cink | --- | 7th | T-13 | T-47 | T-61 | Won | T-41 | 2nd | T-56 | T-43 |
| David Toms | --- | --- | T-13 | T-15 | T-33 | T-6 | T-9 | T-8 | T-61 | T-48 |
| Adam Scott | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-64 | T-55 | T-36 | T-10 | T-36 | T-56 |
| Graeme McDowell | --- | --- | --- | T-52 | --- | --- | wd | --- | --- | T-56 |
| Kenny Perry | --- | --- | --- | T-24 | T-53 | T-27 | T-6 | T-27 | T-11 | T-66 |
| Geoff Ogilvy | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-41 | T-36 | T-51 | T-68 |
| Tiger Woods | Won | Won | Won | 4th | T-4 | T-2 | Won | Won | Won | --- |
| Sports Network Selections |
| Pick to Win - Tiger Woods |
| Darkhorse - Anthony Kim |
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| Last Week's Pick to Win (Miguel Angel Jimenez) - Finished tied for 17th |
| Last Week's Darkhorse (Jamie Donaldson) - Finished tied for 39th |
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| NOTES: |
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The PGA and European Tours travel to Ohio this week for the final tune-up
prior to 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 and final WGC event
scheduled for 2009. Earlier this season, Geoff Ogilvy captured the Accenture
Match Play Championship and Phil Mickelson won the CA 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. The purse
increased $500,000 from last year to $8.5 million, with the winner receiving
$1,434,375.
The top-17 players in the current world rankings are expected to compete this
week. World No. 2 Phil Mickelson is playing for the first time since finishing
tied for second at the U.S. Open in June. Mickelson has been taking time off
to be with his wife and mother, who have both undergone breast cancer surgery.
Stewart Cink is playing for the first time this week since winning his first
major championship in a playoff over Tom Watson at the British Open three
weeks ago.
Players qualify for this lucrative event if they are playing members of the
2007 U.S. and International Presidents Cup teams; playing members of the
2008 U.S. and European Ryder Cup teams; if not otherwise eligible, players
ranked among the top 50, including any players tied for 50th place, on the
Official World Golf Ranking as of Monday, July 27, 2009 and Monday, August 3,
2009; tournament winners of worldwide events since the prior year's
Bridgestone Invitational with an Official World Golf Ranking Strength of Field
Rating of 115 points or more; and the winner of one selected tournament from
each of the following tours: Australian Tour (2008 Australian PGA
Championship), South Africa Tour (2009 Tour Championship), Asian Tour (2008
Volvo Masters of Asia) and Japan Golf Tour (2009 Japan Golf Tour
Championship). The 72-hole, stroke play format features no cut.
Last year, Vijay Singh parred the final five holes to defeat Stuart Appleby
and Lee Westwood by one stroke. Singh closed with a two-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.
Westwood birdied eight, 11 and 13 to move back into contention in the final
round. But he came up short of the green at 14 and tried to putt his ball from
62 feet. He left that well short, then missed his par-saving putt from 17
feet. The bogey left him at nine-under, but he still had a shot. Singh parred
the final five holes and not only did Westwood have a shot, but Appleby flew
up into a share of second with three back-nine birdies. The Australian had an
18-footer at the last to grab a piece of the lead, but left the putt hanging
on the edge of the hole. It was not settled until Singh's last putt fell. He
had 29 feet for birdie at the last, but that putt came up a little over three
feet short. Singh had missed several short putts on the week, but this one
dropped into the hole for par and the win.
Singh became the oldest player, and first in his 40s, to win a World Golf
Championships event at 45 years, five months and 12 days old. The previous
oldest winner of the Bridgestone Invitational was Craig Parry in 2002 at 36
years, seven months and 13 days old. The previous oldest winner of a WGC event
was David Toms, when he captured the 2005 Accenture Match Play Championship at
38 years, 1 month and 23 days old.
In 2007, Tiger Woods fired a final-round 65 to run away with the title,
winning by eight over Rory Sabbatini and Justin Rose. He finished the event at
eight-under-par 272 and was the only player in the field to finish under par.
The victory was the third consecutive for Woods at this event and sixth
overall. He became only the fourth player in history to win on the same course
six times, joining Jack Nicklaus (The Masters at Augusta National), Sam Snead
(Miami Open at Miami Springs Golf & Country Club) and Alex Ross (North & South
Open at Pinehurst No. 2).
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 here 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 55th time in Firestone South history that the course
is hosting a PGA Tour event. The first was the Rubber City Open from 1954-59.
Woods has recorded top-five finishes in all nine of his Bridgestone
Invitational appearances. Woods is a combined 91-under par in his nine
appearances at this event. Of the 36 rounds of golf, 10 have been in the 70s
and 26 in the 60s. His overall earnings are $7,952,500.
Woods has dominated the World Golf Championships. In his 29 career starts,
Woods has 15 wins and 24 top-10 finishes. In fact, Woods has earned
$21,063,330 in his 29 WGC appearances.
Ogilvy, winner of the 2008 World Golf Championships-CA Championship and also
the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship in 2006 and
2009, has a chance to join Woods as the only other player to win all three
World Golf Championships events. The 31-year-old Australian, along with Woods
and Darren Clarke, is one of three players who have won more than one
individual World Golf Championships title. Just five players have competed in
all 10 Bridgestone Invitationals: Stuart Appleby, Jim Furyk, Padraig
Harrington, Phil Mickelson and Lee Westwood.
The PGA and European Tours will be in Minnesota next week at Hazeltine
National Golf Club for the final major of the year, the PGA Championship.
Harrington captured his third major championship and first PGA Championship
title last year.
08/04 15:48:03 ET
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As of August 4, 2009, at 03:48 PM ET
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