World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational News and Notes
Dates: August 1-5, 2012
Where: Firestone Country Club
Par/Yards: 35-35—70 /7,400
Field: Qualification/Eligibility requirements:
Playing members of the 2011 U.S. and International Presidents Cup teams. NOTE: In odd-numbered years, playing members of the last-named U.S. and European Ryder Cup teams shall replace the last-named Presidents Cup teams.
Tournament winners, whose victories are considered official, of tournaments from the Federation Tours since the prior year’s Bridgestone Invitational (with an Official World Golf Ranking Strength of Field Rating of 115 points or more).
The winner of the following tournaments from each of the following Tours: Japan Golf Tour Championship (2012) and Bridgestone Open (2011) from the Japan Golf Tour; JBWere Masters (2011) from the Australasian Tour; Dimension Data Pro-Am (2012) from the Southern Africa Tour; and Iskandar Johor Open (2011) from the Asian Tour.
The top-50 players, including any tied for 50th place, from the Official World Golf Ranking as of Monday, July 23, 2012, and Monday, July 30, 2012.
FedExCup Points: 550
Purse: $8,500,000;
Winner’s Share: $1,400,000;
Format: 72-hole stroke play, no cut
Defending Champion: Adam Scott
How the Bridgestone Invitational was won in 2011
Adam Scott never trailed following any round of his first World Golf Championships win starting with an opening-round 62. Scott played brilliantly on the final day as well shooting 65 for a four-stroke win over Luke Donald and Rickie Fowler.
Joined Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods and Henrik Stenson as the only four players to win THE PLAYERS Championship and a World Golf Championships event in their careers.
With eight career PGA TOUR wins, the victory gave Scott the fourth-most wins by an Australian on TOUR: Greg Norman (20), Steve Elkington (10), Stuart Appleby (10) and Scott (8).
Is the third Australian to win a World Golf Championships event, joining Geoff Ogilvy (2006 and 2009 Accenture Match Play Championship) and Craig Parry (2002 Bridgestone Invitational).
Adam Scott comes to the Bridgestone Invitational returning to competition for the first time since surrendering a six-stroke lead to Ernie Els during the final round of the British Open.
Countries, players & victories represented
Total Players 78
Total Countries 18
USA 25
Australia 9
England 9
South Africa 6
Spain 5
Japan 4
Korea 4
Northern Ireland 3
Sweden 3
Germany 2
Scotland 2
Austria 1
Belgium 1
Denmark 1
Italy 1
Netherlands 1
Thailand 1
Wales 1
World’s best head to Firestone CC for World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational
As the landscape of golf becomes increasingly global, the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational brings together winners of golf tournaments from across the globe who have won events from various Tours within the International Federation of PGA Tours. Winners from different Tours play alongside members of the 2011 Presidents Cup teams as well as the remaining players from the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Top players rise to win recent World Golf Championships events
A good example of the strength of the fields at World Golf Championships events is shown in the list of past champions. In the last five years, the following players have won World Golf Championships events:
Luke Donald – 2011 Accenture Match Play Championship Ernie Els – 2010 Cadillac Championship
Martin Kaymer – 2011 HSBC Champions
Hunter Mahan – 2010 Bridgestone Invitational, 2012 Accenture Match Play Championship
Phil Mickelson – 2009 Cadillac Championship, 2009 HSBC Champions
Francesco Molinari – 2010 HSBC Champions
Geoff Ogilvy – 2008 Cadillac Championship, 2009 Accenture Match Play Championship
Ian Poulter – 2010 Accenture Match Play Championship
Justin Rose – 2012 Cadillac Championship
Vijay Singh – 2008 Bridgestone Invitational
Adam Scott – 2011 Bridgestone Invitational
Nick Watney – 2011 Cadillac Championship
Tiger Woods – 2008 Accenture Match Play Championship, 2009 Bridgestone Invitational
Past Bridgestone Invitational winners in the field (3)
Hunter Mahan – 2010
Tiger Woods – 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2009
Adam Scott – 2011
Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods has dominated the World Golf Championships events since their inception, yet has not won one since the 2009 Bridgestone Invitational.
Regardless, Woods’ record 16 World Golf Championships event titles in 38 starts gives him a winning percentage of 42.1 in the series
>Lee Westwood
Lee Westwood is playing in his 40th career World Golf Championships event, the most of any player in World Golf Championships history.
Most World Golf Championships Appearances (not counting World Cup)
Lee Westwood 39
Retief Goosen 38
Tiger Woods 38
Ernie Els 37
Padraig Harrington 38
Jim Furyk 36
Stuart Appleby 36
Phil Mickelson 36
Westwood has four top-10 finishes at the Bridgestone Invitational including a T2 in 2008.
India’s Jeev Milkha Singh, who is in the field due to his victory at the 2012 Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open, has an interesting tie to the Olympic games. His father represented India in the 1960 Olympics in Rome and although he ran at World-Record pace, he missed out on the bronze medal in a photo finish. Jeev will look to have an opportunity to represent India in the 2016 Olympics when golf rejoins the Olympic Program..
A stretch of five consecutive tournaments from the Scottish Open through the PGA Championship continues for the Open Championship winner. Els comes to the Bridgestone Invitational as a four-time major championship winner and two-time winner of World Golf Championships events. Els is looking for his first top-10 finish at the Bridgestone Invitational since a T8 in 2001.
FedExCup notes
Twenty-six of the top 30 in the FedExCup standings are in the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational field. With 550 points on the line, four players could mathematically overtake current leader Tiger Woods with a victory.
After the Bridgestone Invitational (and this week’s Reno-Tahoe Open), only two events remain for players to earn FedExCup points and improve their standing as the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup approach.
Players in the Bridgestone Invitational field looking to move inside the top 125 to qualify for The Playoffs: Player FedExCup rank (through RBC Canadian Open)
Y.E. Yang 142
Retief Goosen 157
Tiger Woods, Zach Johnson, Jason Dufner and Hunter Mahan are the four players with multiple PGA TOUR victories in 2012. Their victories and consistent play have them ranked as the top four players in the FedExCup, respectively.
First-timers
There are 23 players participating in their first-career Bridgestone Invitational this week. Eight of these players will be participating in their first-ever World Golf Championships event.
Strength of Field
49 of top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking (only the Masters (49) and the Cadillac Championship (50) have had 49 or more of the top 50 in the world in the field this year.) 26 of the top 30 in the FedExCup standings 54 players with 354 victories on international tours other than the PGA TOUR
There are 51 players in the field of 78 that have won 320 PGA TOUR events including 17 players who have accounted for 37 major championship victories
Major winners in the Bridgestone Invitational Field
Tiger Woods 14
Ernie Els 4
Phil Mickelson 4
Retief Goosen 2
Keegan Bradley 1
Jim Furyk 1
Zach Johnson 1
Martin Kaymer 1
Paul Lawrie 1
Graeme McDowell 1
Rory McIlroy 1
Geoff Ogilvy 1
Louis Oosthuizen 1
Charl Schwartzel 1
David Toms 1
Bubba Watson 1
Y.E. Yang 1
World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational News and Notes