Fowler To Fire It Up In The Bridgestone Invitational

The Bridgestone Invitational is the third of four World Golf Championship events, and like the two that precede it in the calendar, offers a bigger purse for the winner than any of the Majors.

It’s an invitational, so the field is roughly half the size of a normal PGA Tour event. As you’d expect, this is an extremely competitive tournament, although Tiger Woods has won it an incredible eight times.

The Course
Apart from the 2002 edition, this competition has been held on the South Course at Firestone Country Club, Akron, Ohio since its inauguration. This course has earned the nickname ‘The Monster’ and will be set up as though for a major this week. Conditions will be fast and firm underfoot, and with tough pin positions, length off the tee is essential to give you more options to play approach shots.

In The Bunker
His victory in the British Open means that any lingering value about Rory McIlroy has disappeared and he will be priced up at prohibitive odds for the foreseeable future. That is certainly the case this week and although he has managed three top tens at Firestone, antepost odds of 13/2 are too short for such a competitive event.

And although the sight of Tiger Woods’ name next to a price of 16/1 for a tournament he’s won eight times may at first glance look appealing, based on what we’ve seen since his return from back surgery, he isn’t backable at twice those odds.

Recommended Bets
Adam Scott hasn’t been in the headlines much in recent weeks, but he is ranked the best player in world golf at the moment and he goes into this tournament in pretty hot form. Since his victory at Colonial, he’s managed three consecutive top ten finishes, including a solid fifth at Hoylake two weeks ago. He won this event in 2011 and is in a rich vein of form, so even at 10/1 he’s a solid bet.

After making the top five at the Masters, Rickie Fowler suffered a form slump, but he has rediscovered his touch in recent weeks and heads to Firestone with some good recent performances to his name.

After returning to form at the St Jude Classic, he finished second at the US Open, made the top ten at the Scottish Open, and then chased home Rory McIlroy at Hoylake…

On a hot streak, he is value at 22/1.

And at big odds, consider a punt on Brendon Todd. Prior to the British Open, he’d made five top tens in six outings, including his debut PGA Tour victory at the Byron Nelson and three further top fives. This will be his first trip to Firestone, but he’s an in-form and improving player and at 80/1 he’s a good each way selection.