The PGA Tour will head to Firestone Country Club this week in what will be its last time hosting the WGC Bridgestone Invitational. Since it is a WGC event, only 73 golfers will tee it up this week and there will be no cut.
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The Course
Firestone Country Club is located in Akron, Ohio and has hosted this event in 18 out of the last 19 years. It is a relatively long course, especially once you factor that it is a Par 70. It features seven Par 4s that stretch out longer than 460 yards. Although it is a lengthy course, there are not many hazards that come into play very often so bogeys are generally hard to come by.
You will have to be dialed in off-the-tee to have a chance to compete here. If you can bomb it deep into the fairway, you’ll have a better chance at sticking some greens in regulation, which is critically important at this course. Firestone is known for their lightning-quick greens which feature a plethora of undulations.
Storylines
The field is absolutely loaded. Almost every top golfer in the world will be competing this week. But the main headline is Tiger Woods, who will be making his grand return to Firestone, where he has won a record eight times in 15 starts. He has been on record multiple times stating that this is one of his favorite courses on Tour. Fellow past champions Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson enter this week in excellent form.
I always love the WGC events because there are only a few times per season where you get to see every top player in the world at one event.
Past Champions
- 2017: Hideki Matsuyama
- 2016: Dustin Johnson
- 2015: Shane Lowry
- 2014: Rory McIlroy
- 2013: Tiger Woods
- 2012: Keegan Bradley
Golfers to Target
Tiger Woods
You probably could have seen this coming. The Big Cat comes into this event after nearly winning at Carnoustie two weeks ago. If he is not in top form yet, he is close. But there’s really only one reason to target him and it is because of the statistic listed above. Eight wins in 15 appearances is simply ridiculous.
Dustin Johnson
I have always been a believer that when DJ is playing at his best, he is the best player in the world. He is coming off a dominating win at Glen Abbey last week where he shot -23. His length off-the-tee and excellent wedge game set him up for success at this course, and as stated previously, he has won here before.
Rory McIlroy
If you look at some of the recent winners of this event, you notice a trend. Elite-level players typically win. Rory has won here before and is coming off a top-five finish at The Open. He has quietly returned to top form this season with one win and multiple runner-ups.
Rickie Fowler
We were all over Fowler at The Open and while he didn’t play poorly, he didn’t perform at the level to which we were expecting. He has carded five top 10’s at Firestone in eight starts which means he loves playing here. He has flashed stellar form in 2018.
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Shane Davies is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Shane, check out his archive and follow him @SBDAVIES7.