|
|
|
|
CHAMPIONSHIP
TICKETS & HOSPITALITY
GENERAL INFORMATION
HOST COURSE
WORLD GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS
| The Fantasy Insider: Bridgestone InvitationalJul. 29, 2008
The best players in the world will be severely tested the moment they leave the locker room this week; Firestone Country Club is another layout with sharp teeth. Hitting fairways and greens is always at a premium here, so let's focus on the ball-striking stats as we try to figure out who can withstand the field, the course and the conditions (hello, humid weather) over four grueling days.  Lyons/Getty Images Stewart Cink is a popular pick this week.
PGATOUR.com Pick 'em We ask for one player in each of the six groups and a wild card selection. Anthony Kim gave us three excellent rounds last week, but his closing kick left a little to be desired. Hey, the balls roll funny for all of us. Group 1 Pick: Stewart Cink Cink's in the midst of what could easily become his best year on TOUR. The Georgia product is fourth in FedExCup Points, ninth in hitting greens, first in top-10 finishes, and he's always liked the look of Firestone (he won here in 2004, and ran second in 2006). He's also the consensus pick among the PGATOUR.COM handicapping panel, if you wanted to know. Surprisingly, Mickelson is the first name to cross out on your sheet -- he hasn't cracked the top 40 here in four straight starts. Kim is talented enough to win anytime for any reason, but he's making his World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational debut, so maybe it's not the best week to select him. Leonard's grinding game has played well here before: ninth last season, tied for second in 2000. And I can't blame anyone who wants to keep riding the Perry train; you know all about his 2008 success, and he's been steady in recent Bridgestone starts (tie for 11th, tied for 27th, tied for sixth). Group 2 Pick: Robert Allenby Most of the Cink angles above will also apply to Allenby, who's in the middle of a rock-solid season. The easy-going Aussie is second in GIR, has seven top-10 finishes along with Cink, and is second in ball striking. Allenby hasn't done much in his last two Bridgestone Invitational visits, but he ran second, sixth and ninth from 2002-04. With a nod toward Allenby's amazing consistency in 2008, I'm more than happy to hop on board in this spot. It's always odd to see good players struggle in marquee events, but that's what happens to Harrington and Ogilvy when they make this stop. Harrington has yet to see a top-10 finish at the Bridgestone Invitational in nine tries, and Ogilvy has three uninspiring finishes over this track (51, 36, 41). Singh hasn't had a bad year, and he's got a moderate resume at Firestone, but his play in the recent majors lessens my interest. I also worry about his occasional wayward driver, and his off-and-on putting issues. Weekley's debut last year was an ordinary one, a tie for 30th.  Furyk Group 3 Pick: Jim Furyk Summer golf on a demanding course in a sweltering northern climate? That's right up Furyk's alley, and it's no surprise that he's got five top-6 finishes at the Bridgestone Invitational over this decade. Some picks just make themselves, and this is one of those times. Stricker (ties for 41st) and O'Hair (tied for 51st) have just one start over the track, so it's hard to be too optimistic with either guy here. Choi ran 11th at Firestone last year, but otherwise this hasn't been his favorite venue. Immelman's average finish over five starts at Firestone is a tie for 24th, and that's not enough to get him on my dance card, not in a pool that includes Furyk.  Garcia Group 4 Pick: Sergio Garcia No one in this pool has made a serious challenge for a Bridgestone Invitational title -- believe it or not -- so we'll need to look away from past performance as we handicap the group. Garcia eventually gets the check mark for his ball striking and his ability to score on tough courses, but he'll need to get his disappointing British Open result out of his mind as soon as possible. A decent opening round Thursday for Garcia would go a long way. Scott's been somewhat of an enigma this year, just 176th in driving accuracy and 162nd in putts per round. He's got more than enough talent to shave strokes in other ways, but he hasn't really contended in his last three PGA TOUR starts. Trahan is making his debut here, and Holmes has just one start (tied for 50th in 2006); that's not enough to steer me off the Garcia pick. Ames has been respectable but not outstanding at this track (22nd, 18th, 36th, 22nd); given the demands of Firestone off the tee, I'm not sure whether Ames can drive his way into serious contention.  Reavie Group 5 Pick: Chez Reavie Rules are made to be broken, and I'm going to shatter a few of them as I opt for Reavie here. He's making his Bridgestone Invitational debut, he's got extra media work on his shoulders after the RBC Canadian Open win, and he's up against a slew of big names in this bracket, including a couple of former major-winners. That said, Reavie showed me a lot zipping past Anthony Kim last week, he's got the iron game Firestone demands and I feel like making an unorthodox pick. Reavie it is. It helps that the big names in the pool have modest Firestone success to fall back on. Els hasn't made the top 20 in four turns, Campbell has broken 70 just twice in 20 rounds here and Austin's two starts were forgettable (tied for 56th, tied for 36th). Pampling is crafty enough to score here, and he's got a decent Firestone resume (14th, 45th, 13th, 14th), but he'll need to sharpen his iron play (116th in GIR).  Appleby Group 6 Pick: Stuart Appleby Ohio's become a second home of sorts for Appleby; he met his wife here eight years ago, and he's fared well in this event (five top-20 checks this decade, including a tie for 14th last season). It hasn't been his best ball-striking year, but he's nonetheless 23rd in scoring average -- a testament to his toughness and creativity. Mahan is always a dangerous guy to look past, and he checked in 14th last year in his first Bridgestone Invitational. If you want to dial him up, I won't try to talk you out of it. Romero hasn't had a great ball-striking season, but, nonetheless, he's grabbed nine checks in 11 starts, including the win at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, and he was sixth at the Bridgestone Invitational last summer. Give Lowery good directions to the tournament because he's making his first return visit since 2002 (eighth). Chopra is making his Bridgestone Invitational debut, and he's made five straight cuts, but he really hasn't contended since winning the Mercedes Championship back in January. Rest of the Field: Henrik Stenson hasn't done better than 13th at Firestone, but he's a formidable contender anytime he tees it up -- don't forget he tied for third at the British Open two weeks ago. He's considered one of the top dozen favorites here in every spot I've looked ... Lee Westwood has just one top-10 showing over nine starts here, and he wasn't clicking on all cylinders at Royal Birkdale. I'm looking at different options ... Robert Karlsson has the game to win anywhere, but he's yet to figure out how things work at Firestone -- no rounds in the 60s through three visits ... Scott Verplank had six ordinary showings here before last year's tie for ninth. He's not the longest hitter around, but he's still got a straight driver (10th in tee accuracy) and a true putter (17th in putting average) ... Rory Sabbatini has been off his game for a few months now (just three checks over seven starts), but maybe a stop at Firestone will fire up his game. He tied for second here in 2004 and duplicated the feat last season ... Zach Johnson is in the middle of an uneven year, but his best showing of 2008 came in a World Golf Championships event, and he was a decent tie for 11th here last season. Fairways and greens? That won't be a problem -- he's fourth in driving accuracy and 39th in GIR. | HEADLINES
HEADLINES
|
