After an exciting British Open where Rory McIlroy emerged triumphant to win his third major title, the world’s best golfers will reassemble across the Atlantic in Akron, Ohio for the 2014 Bridgestone Invitational. This tournament is the third leg in the World Golf Championship series this year with 14-time major winner Tiger Woods looking to make more history and win a record ninth Bridgestone title.
The Bridgestone Invitational serves as a key stop for the world’s top golfers as they step up their preparation for the year’s final major, next month’s PGA Championship. Read on for more insights into this golf tournament as we profile the favorites and high-value sleepers for this event, and get you set for all the action.
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World Golf Championships – 2014 Bridgestone Invitational Preview and Picks
Where: Firestone Country Club, South Course, Akron, Ohio
When: July 31 to August 3
The Favorites – Adam Scott and Rory McIlroy
McIlroy heads into this tournament with confidence blazing high after capturing his first ever Open championship, his third major overall. The Northern Irishman went wire-to-wire as he held off late challenges from Sergio Garcia and Rickie Fowler to claim the third leg of the career grand slam.
[sc:Golf240banner ]It has been a remarkable turnaround for McIlroy who was struggling with his golf game last year. His game now appears to be in great shape heading into the Bridgestone Invitational where he has finished in the top 10 in three of the past four years and is priced at +600 to win back-to-back tournaments.
Adam Scott, on the other hand, has been solid all season, recording seven top-10 finishes on the Tour this season, including a win at the Colonial last May in a playoff over Jason Dufner. The world’s No. 1 golfer finished fifth at the British Open two weeks ago and he will be hoping to continue that good form in Ohio.
Scott has, however, struggled in the Bridgestone Invitational. In 11 career starts, Scott has finished better than ninth only once. He is pegged at +800 to finally break through and win his first WGC event here in Ohio.
High-Value Sleepers – Tiger Woods and Justin Rose
There are plenty of questions surrounding Tiger Woods and whether he can still play at the top level, especially after undergoing major back surgery this past March. In his first tournament back, he missed the cut in his own tournament at Congressional.
He showed glimpses of his old form in the opening round of the British Open weeks later shooting to the top of the leaderboard with a three-under-par 69. But he followed it up with rounds of 77, 73 and 75 as he finished six-over-par for the tournament and ended up in 69th place, his worst finish ever at the British Open.
With that being said, you can’t deny that Tiger Woods’ record on this golf course. Last year, he was simply dominant as he flirted with scoring a 59 in the second round, finishing at 15-under-par, seven strokes clear of Keegan Bradley and Henrik Stenson.
There’s something about the Firestone Country Club golf course that fits Woods’eye and game and he is listed at +1,200 to take home his record ninth title.
Justin Rose was in scintillating form heading into the Open Championship, winning back-to-back tournaments for the first time in his career. He won the Quicken Loans National golf tournament at Congressional and then crossed the Atlantic to capture the Scottish Open two weeks later. He however failed to light up the British Open, finishing in a tie for 23rd at five-under-par.
His win at Congressional, as well as top-5 finishes in the Wells Fargo and Players Championship, has showed that the Englishman can handle American golf courses well and is a good bet at +1,500 to win his third golf tournament this year.
Long Shots – Jim Furyk and Sergio Garcia
Sergio Garcia may have finished second to Rory McIlroy at the British Open but he has proven to himself and to his doubters that he can still contend at the top level with his high-quality performance in the final round of a major championship. Starting the final round seven shots back of McIlroy, the Spaniard was the only golfer to bring the fight to the newly-installed World No. 2, closing to within two shots before eventually running out of holes.
In fact, Garcia, priced at +2,000, has now tied Lee Westwood for the most top-3 finishes in a major by a golfer who has never won a major with six. Garcia has six top-10 finishes on Tour this year including a pair of top-3 finishes at the Houston Open and the Players Championship as well as a runner-up finish at the Travelers Championship.
Jim Furyk, on the other hand, had a disappointing end to his Canadian Open campaign last week, as he lost by one shot to Tim Clark who birdied five of his last eight holes for a stunning comeback victory.
Still, it was another solid performance by the American who had a three-shot lead entering the final round. He has six top-10s this year including a pair of runner-up finishes in the Wells Fargo and the Players Championship.
Furyk, pegged at +1,800, finished in a tie for ninth at last year’s Bridgestone Invitational and will be one of the players to watch in next week’s tournament.
