Major winners Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson, and Rory McIlroy will lead a star-studded field for the 2017 WGC Bridgestone Invitational. However, don’t overlook these three sleepers, who also have a decent shot at springing an upset over the big-name favorites.
Dufner is having a fine season thus far. He’s got 11 top-25 finishes in 17 total events, and has made 14 cuts. Granted, two of those missed cuts have come in his last four tournaments, the Dean & Deluca Invitational and the US Open.
However, he does have his lone win sandwiched in between those disappointing performances at the Memorial, and also finished a respectable T14 at The Open Championship. Dufner also had back-to-back top-10 finishes at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational back in 2012 (7th) and 2013 (T4), which is why his chances of victory shouldn’t be discounted this weekend.
Reed is coming off a disappointing missed cut at The Open Championship, the first time he’s missed the cut since going three straight back in April. Since those three straight missed cuts, Reed has been on a terrific run. He’s finished at least 22nd or better in eight of his next 10 tournaments, and inside the top 15 in four of those.
The 26-year-old American has also done well at Firestone Country Club in recent years. He finished inside the top five in his first ever start in the tournament back in 2014, and went a solid T15 the year after. With Reed primed for a bounce-back performance, he’s got a good chance to contend for his first win of the season.
Schwartzel has not been too active on tour this season, but when he has, he’s made the most of it. He’s got three top-10 finishes in 13 starts this year, including a third-place finish at Augusta and a T2 at the FedEx St. Jude Classic. Despite his disappointing showings at the US Open (missed the cut) and The Open (T62), he’s shown that he can be a top contender when he’s on his game.
Schwartzel is still in search of his first tour win since 2016, and the Firestone Country Club might be the perfect course for him to get it. The South African has a very solid record at the course, as he finished T4 in 2014 T7 at last year’s WGC Bridgestone Invitational.
