Woods looking for six at Firestone
IN: News | US PGA | Bridgestone Invitational (2007) | Preview | by Bruce Young | 31 Jul 2007
Just two weeks after the world’s leading players did battle at Carnoustie, they go at it once again this week in Akron, Ohio when the WGC Bridgestone Invitational is played over the South Course at the famed Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio.
Such is the nature of world golf since the introduction of World Golf Championship events in 1999. The philosophy behind the introduction of such events was to provide a vehicle whereby the world’s leading players could compete against each other on a more regular basis and while that has been achieved there is still a school of thought that the events have not really reached the heights that was hoped in terms of prestige and appeal. That may change over the years but to a large extent the events still fall well behind at least three of the majors and hopefully that is where they will stay.
The South Course was an original Bert Way design but was redesigned in 1960 by Robert Trent Jones Sr in 1960. The layout has hosted this event or its previous equivalent (World Series of Golf) every year since 1976 other than in 2002 when Craig Parry won at Sahalee Country Club.
An US$8 million purse awaits the field of 90 of the world’s best brought together through a range of qualifying criteria. Players from the most recent Presidents and Ryder Cup teams are included along with winners of selected events worldwide and the top fifty from the World Ranking.
Tiger Woods has won the event an amazing five times in the last eight years and is the raging hot favourite to make it six from nine. It is true that Woods has finished outside the top five in each of his last two starts this season but he has still played well enough for him to be the most feared player this week, especially on a golf course he likely feels he owns.
Jim Furyk has been in the most stunning form in recent weeks and has been outside the top ten just twice in eight starts at this event. His win last week in Canada was his first in nearly twelve months but there is every reason to believe that he will not have to wait that long again. This could well develop into a classic Woods and Furyk duel.
Phil Mickelson won around Firestone South in 1996 and played well at the venue including three times runner up until the last few years but has not finished inside the top twenty in his last four starts. Mickelson missed the cut at Carnoustie after a brilliant week at the Scottish Open. He seems a little too hard to predict at present to be confident about his chances but at his best he could do very well.
Vijay Singh kept Furyk very honest last week when runner up in Canada and has played well enough at this event to be some sort of consideration as a potential winner.
Ernie Els has not been all that impressive at Firestone but has found some very good form in recent weeks after a slow start to 2007. The golf course is playing longer than in previous years and this might help Els.
The three key protagonists at Carnoustie, Padraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia and Andres Romero, are in the field and there will be much interest as to how they follow up their differing results two weeks ago. Neither Harrington nor Garcia has done very well at Firestone but their Carnoustie heroics might just change that dynamic. Romero was brilliant in his comeback last week in Germany but is playing this event for the first occasion.
Stewart Cink arrives off the back of his best Open Championship finish when 6th and as a previous winner of this event (2004) and runner up to Woods last year he deserves consideration.
Steve Stricker has been all round a victory of late failing at the last hurdle in several big events in 2007 and on tough golf courses. He gets his chance once again to complete the job on a golf course where he finished runner up in 1996 when he was at the peak of his game. He is close to that level once again.
In a field such as this there are almost too many chances to be confident of any one player taking the title but others aside from those mentioned above who might be worth consideration include David Toms who was playing so well before missing the cut at Carnoustie and who has had three consecutive top tens in this event in his last three starts at Firestone.
Angel Cabrera is likely now ready to contend again after the giddy heights of US Open Championship glory and he has a good record at this course to enhance his chances.
The Australians are headed by Adam Scott but his inconsistency is a worry for both Scott and his fans. Geoff Ogilvy, Nick O’Hern, Richard Green, Robert Allenby, Stuart Appleby, Rod Pampling, John Senden, Mark Hensby Peter Lonard and New Zealander Michael Campbell are the Australasians in the field.
