The best golfers in the world are headed to Akron, Ohio this week to contest the third leg of the World Golf Championships. The $9mn Bridgestone Invitational will be played at the Firestone Country Club where Rory McIlroy will seek to build on his recent success at the Open Championships at Hoylake. Tiger Woods, a serial winner at the event, will hope that he can draw on his memories to enjoy a decent run.
Sergio Garcia, who ran the Northern Irishman close at the Open, will also be in contention at the Bridgestone Invitational. Justin Rose has also been in great form – having won the Quicken Loans National and finishing T23 at Hoylake.
Woods has won this event an incredible eight times in fourteen appearances. It will be of great significance for the American if he can extend that domination or perform well enough for a finish near the top in the run up to the PGA Championship.
The man from Florida has been in patchy form ever since returning to the circuit from a back surgery earlier this year. Woods barely made the cut at the Royal Liverpool, before finishing near the bottom of the pile. A good run this week will be essential to restore his confidence ahead of the final major of the season.
The South Course, featuring Bent grass, measures an imposing 7,283 yards. The par-70 course has one of the longest par 5’s – the 16th hole needs golfers to cover 667 yards. In stark contrast, the only other par-5 hole, the second measures just 497 yards and offers a good birdie opportunity to the players.
Just after he won the Open, McIlroy expressed a keen desire for sustained success on the tour. “I just want to think ahead and go forward and try to win as many tournaments and as many Majors as I can, said McIlroy, “because I feel like there’s a lot more left in me.” He can begin keeping that promise to himself by trying to gain a maiden WGC title this coming Sunday.
Report by Anand Datla
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