Woods' return venue an obvious choice

BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2011 World Golf Championship -Bridgestone Invitational | Preview | 02 Aug 2011

The World Golf Championship Bridgestone Invitational is played this week for the 13th consecutive year, twelve of those at the famed South Course Firestone Country club in Akron Ohio. If ever the name of a golf course rolls off the tongue it is this one.

This event or its predecessor, the World Series of Golf, have been played at this great and iconic venue in all but one of the years since 1962, the tournament becoming a 72 hole bona fide PGA Tour event in 1976.

In 1999 it joined the list of events that became World Golf Championship events that season, Tiger Woods winning the first of his seven titles at Firestone that year. He has also finished runner-up once during that period and twice fourth but not only was it the victories that made the course his own it was the often their emphatic nature that stamped this course as being synonymous with Tiger Woods.

It is little surprise therefore that Woods has chosen this event to return to competitive golf. He is no doubt fully fit, not tempted to make the same mistake he made when returning prematurely at the Players Championship and costing himself three crucial months of tournament play.

The tournament carries prizemoney of US$8.5 million and has attracted the sort of field an event of this standing deserves. Four former winners are in the field which might seem a little light in number but, given that Woods has won so many, perhaps not. Other winners in the field are Darren Clarke, Stewart Cink and the defending champion Hunter Mahan.

Eighteen winners of 29 major championships are lining up, the remainder of the field qualifying via specific qualifying criteria which includes;

The top 50 players, including any tied for 50th place, from the Official World Golf Ranking as of Monday, July 25, 2011.

The top 50 players, including any tied for 50th place, from the Official World Golf Ranking as of Monday, August 1, 2011.

Tournament winners, who victories are considered official, of tournaments on the Federation Tours since the prior year’s Bridgestone Invitational with an Official World Golf Ranking Strength of Field Rating of 115 points or more.

The winner of the following designated tournaments (subject to change from year to year):
- Japan Golf Tour: 2010 Bridgestone Open and 2011 Japan Golf Tour Championship
- Australasian Tour: 2010 Australian PGA Championship
- Southern Africa Tour: 2011 Dimension Data Pro-Am
- Asian Tour: 2010 Iskandar Johor Open

The field in 2011 will consist of 77 players, seven of them Australian although interestingly enough that could have been eight. Peter Senior was eligible due to his victory at the Australian PGA Championship last year but he has chosen not to play. Senior will instead play the Champions Tour’s 3M Championship.

Phil Mickelson has not played this event well in recent years and a missed cut last week hardly does anything for his chances although he could still be a factor. Earlier in his career he was three times runner-up at Firestone Country club. His runner-up finish at the Open Championship showed that he could turn around typical form at an event and he could do so this week.

Luke Donald has been rather ordinary in the last two weeks but he is not the world number one for nothing and his form earlier in the season is probably a better indication of his chances this week. He has played the event well enough on occasions.

Westwood was forced to withdraw from this event last year with a calf injury but in his two starts previously he recorded two top ten finishes, one of those when runner up in 2008 to Vijay Singh. Westwood surprisingly missed the cut at the Open Championship but was in fine form before and that may be a better guide as to his chances this week.

Rory McIlroy might well be pleased to get away from the media in Britain who seemed to love him one minute but on his case the next. He reacted as if he was feeling the pinch when a television commentator suggested his caddie might be of more help to him.

McIlory will return to the country where he now owns the national open and is no doubt looking forward to being back there. He finished 9th in the event last year.

Nick Watney is emerging as one of the USA’s future stars and even though he floundered at the Open Championship, that he won the WGC event in Doral and at the AT&T National Championship three weeks ago is a better indication as to his chances. He finished a creditable 16th in the event last year.

Two years ago Matt Kuchar failed to qualify to play in this event but since then he has become one of the most consistent performers in the game. He has admittedly missed the cut in his last two starts at the Open Championship and in Canada but with a week off to recover he should bounce back to the great form he was showing earlier. He finished 9th in the event last year.

One player for longer odds might just be Bo Van Pelt who finished in a share of 3rd in the event last year and who is playing very well at present. This is a very strong field for the 34th ranked player in the game but I still like his chances.

The seven Australians are headed by the world number 8 Jason Day who loves the big stage and outside of major championships they don’t come much bigger than this. He did well enough when 22nd on debut in the event last year and after a week off to recharge the batteries following his perhaps disappointing Open Championship he should do well.

Adam Scott could also do well. He has played only six events in the four months since Augusta but there has been some good golf during that time, none more so than at the AT&T Championship where he finished 3rd. In ten starts in this event Scott has just the two top ten finishes to his name the best being when 9th last year. There is something about Scott at present however to suggest this could be a much better week.

Geoff Ogilvy, Robert Allenby, Stuart Appleby, Richard Green and Aaron Baddeley make up the rest with Allenby, Ogilvy and Green in particular hoping for a good week to enhance their Presidents Cup team chances.

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