The PGA Tour shifts to Akron, Ohio and the Firestone Country Club for the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational this week. A year ago, top European players such as Rory Mcilroy and Danny Willett opted to skip this tournament in order to play in the Open de France since the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational was bumped up on the schedule in order to accommodate golf’s inclusion in the Olympics. That won’t be the case this year with McIlroy and Willett among those competing in an absolutely loaded field for the 2017 edition of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.
Details
Event: WGC-Bridgestone Invitational
Category: PGA
Date: August 3-6
Location: Firestone Country Club (South Course), Akron, Ohio
The WGC-Bridgestone Invitational will mark Jordan Spieth’s first start since he won the Open Championship two weeks ago. It will also serve as the last tune-up opportunity before the fourth and final major event of the season in the US PGA Championship the following week. Spieth will be joined by the defending tournament champion Dustin Johnson as the co-favorites to win this event. However, it will be much more than just a two-horse race with several big names looking to make a statement this week in Akron.
Past Five Winners
2016: Dustin Johnson -6
2015: Shane Lowry -11
2014: Rory McIlroy -15
2013: Tiger Woods -15
2012: Keegan Bradley -13
What To Know About The Course
The South Course at the Firestone is extremely difficult and last year only two holes averaged below par. It’s the longest part 70 on the PGA Tour so Driving Distance will undoubtedly be an important factor. Over the last 13 years, no winner has ranked worse than 27th in Driving Distance. Meanwhile, Driving Accuracy hasn’t been the most important statistic at this tournament even though D.J. placed fourth in that category when he won here last year. Scrambling will be important as the average ranking of the first man home over the last 10 years is around 10. The three best scramblers here last year all finished in the top-six with Spieth, Matt Kuchar and Jason Day all delivering strong performances. Neither of the last two winners had strong course forms before winning this tournament so it will be interesting to see if that trend continues at this year’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.
The Field
Spieth and Johnson will be the sports betting favorites to win at the Firestone this week with some sportsbooks giving Spieth the slight edge in terms of the betting odds. Spieth and D.J. will be listed around +800 odds to win outright. McIlroy is at +1000 odds after he won here in 2014. There is a significant drop off after the big three in terms of betting odds as Rickie Fowler and Brooks Koepka are listed at +1600 odds, followed by Hideki Matsuyama at +1800 odds to win outright. Jon Rahm, Henrik Stenson, Justin Rose and Adam Scott round out the top options on the board in terms of the sports betting odds to win this event outright.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Rory McIlroy over Jordan Spieth
Matt Kuchar looked absolutely exhausted at the RBC Canadian Open last week and there is a good chance Spieth will still be fatigued following their epic battle at the Open Championship a couple of weeks ago. While Spieth should still be in the mix, a little fatigue could open the door for McIlroy to produce a better result in the head-to-head sports betting matchup. McIlroy won this tournament in 2014 and he absolutely has to be considered a contender at the Firestone this week. McIlroy has struggled with inconsistency throughout the year but he should be focused after bringing on a new caddy and he should be motivated to get off to a strong start. We full expect McIlroy to be at his very best at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational this week.
Top-Five Pick: Adam Scott
Scott is listed between +2500 and +2800 odds to win this event outright depending on the sportsbook. That is pretty good value for a golfer that has registered five-career top-10 finishes at Firestone, including three over the last six years. Scott has proven he can excel at one of the most difficult courses on the PGA Tour and his experience will really help him at this week’s event. Considering his course form and the fact that even in a “down year” he still has four top-10 finishes, Scott should be a strong value pick to place in the top-five at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.
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