Bridgestone Invitational Preview
This week is one of the four World Golf Championships on the PGA Tour hosted in Akron, Ohio. The best in the world will tee it up at Firestone Country Club this week, so what are some of the biggest storylines heading into the tournament?
Weather:
The weather does not look good for Firestone Country Club this week. The tee times have already been moved up Thursday and it might be much of the same Friday. Professional golfers deal with weather all the time as it’s a part of the game of golf. Expect soft conditions and low scoring this week, which is much different from a year ago.
Last Year:
Dustin Johnson won last year with a final score at six-under par. He is the first player to win all four WGC events over the span of his career. Other bigger names that finished in the top last year were Matt Kuchar, Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, and Rickie Fowler.
Key Groups:
With some of the top players teeing it up this week, there are some great groups to watch out for. Let’s take a look at the groups and who will come out on top in each group:
Spieth/McIlroy/Day
The group with potentially the most firepower of the week consists of three players in the top ten in the world. It has been a year to forget for Jason Day as injuries have haunted him and with his mother being diagnosed with lung cancer earlier this year. Day has only finished in the top ten twice this year, and is coming off a decent showing at The Open where he finished 27th. Rory won at Firestone back in 2014, playing the best golf of his career over the span of around a month when he won The Open, Bridgestone, and the PGA Championship. With the new caddie on the bag this week, it will be interesting to see how he performs. Spieth has already had an incredible season. He has won three times on tour already, most recently at The Open at Royal Birkdale. Right now, Spieth is the best player on the planet.
Breakout Player: Jordan Spieth
Johnson/Koepka/Matsuyama
Dustin Johnson had a huge season last year, winning his first major at Oakmont. He had high expectations this year in the majors, but that was halted after a freak accident the week of The Masters where he fell down some stairs and had to withdraw. DJ even said himself that he is still not 100% healthy. Brooks Koepka got his first major this year at Erin Hills, dominating the field the final day shooting 67. At The Open, he played some fantastic golf too, finishing in solo sixth. But Koepka last year withdrew at Firestone after 13 holes. Matsuyama has not had a lot of success at Firestone either, finishing T42 and T37 the last two years. He has been steady this season, as he is ranked third in the world, but is still looking for his breakout victory like Johnson and Koepka. Could this be his week?
Breakout Player: Dustin Johnson
Garcia/Fowler/Kuchar
I predict the winner this week will come from this group. Will it be Sergio who finally won a major this year at Augusta? Or Rickie Fowler who has arguably played the most consistent golf of anyone in the last three years? How about Matt Kuchar who went head to head with Spieth at “The Battle at Birkdale?” Garcia still seems to be on his honeymoon with having his wedding after The Masters. Matt Kuchar has played too much golf in the last few weeks. That leaves Rickie Fowler. Fowler has proven himself he can win the big events with wins at the Wells Fargo, and The Players to name a few. He has countless top five finishes in majors over the past few wins. I believe Rickie will pick up another huge victory and make a big statement this week.
Breakout Player: Rickie Fowler
Sleeper Picks:
Si Woo Kim: Kim won this year at The Players Championship, where he was unfazed in the last round leading him to his second victory on tour. This course sets up very similar to TPC Sawgrass. Look for him to be a factor down the stretch.
Gary Woodland: Quietly, Woodland is having himself a solid couple of weeks. He had a surprising first few days at The Open where he was in contention up until the weekend, and finished in fourth place last week at the RBC Canadian Open. He will overpower the course this week, which should leave him in some good spaces to make birdies.
Matthew Fitzpatrick:
This young gun has already played in some of the biggest stages worldwide, such as the Ryder Cup. He is due for an enormous victory to jump start his career, and this might be the week to get a taste of what he can really do. The young man from England will work some magic this week.
Predicting the Top Ten:
1: Rickie Fowler
T2: Justin Rose
T2: Jordan Spieth
T2: Justin Thomas
5: Dustin Johnson
T6: Si Woo Kim
T6: Henrik Stenson
8: Matthew Fitzpatrick
T10: Kevin Kisner
T10: Kyle Stanley
Final Thoughts:
Firestone always proves to be a tough test year in and year out. The player that will win this week needs to have serious mental strength due to the weather and all of the delays that will come. Rickie Fowler is not rattled by anything, or anybody, expect him to win this week by his focus and mental toughness.
