By John Strege
The inevitable prevailed over the unlikely in the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship on Sunday, when Retief Goosen finally won on the PGA Tour Champions and 65-year-old Jay Haas’ bid to win came up two strokes short.

Goosen, a World Golf Hall of Fame member with two U.S. Open victories on his resume, birdied the final two holes at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, the margin of victory over Haas and Tim Petrovic.

“It was an up-and-down year so far,” Goosen said, “and I had my chances a few weeks ago and didn’t do it. It’s nice to pull this one off.”

Goosen, 50, had been closing in on his maiden senior win, hence the inevitability. In his last four starts, he was fourth at the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, tied for 11th at the Principal Charity Classic, tied for second in the American Family Insurance Championship and tied for 14th in the U.S. Senior Open.

An unlikely winner would have been Haas, given his age and the fact that his last of 18 senior wins came three years ago. Yet Haas was one of five tied for the lead at four-under par midway through the round and was the leader in the clubhouse when he completed his round of three-under par 67.

Petrovic, who shot a two-under 68, joined Haas in the clubhouse at four-under par and waiting to see whether it would be good enough for a playoff opportunity.

It wasn’t. Goosen saved par from a back bunker at the par-5 16th hole, then birdied 17 with a 4-iron tee shot, a 7-iron second to 10 feet, and a perfect putt to take the lead at five-under par. At 18, he hit a perfect drive, an iron to eight feet and holed the putt to win by two.

Goosen began the day one off the lead and shot a two-under par 68 for a 72-hole score of six-under 274.

“I knew it was going to play tough for everybody and I just had to hang in there,” he said. “I thought after the bogey at the first, here we go again, but I had a nice driver, 4-iron on the second and made a nice eagle there. It sort of settled me down and from there I was just trying to hang on.”

Scott Parel, the 54-hole leader, and Kent Jones were the others tied for the lead on the back nine. Parel double-bogeyed 17 and Jones bogeyed 15 and 18 and they tied for fourth.

Goosen receives $450,000 for the victory and a spot in the PGA Tour’s Players Championship next March.

The post Retief Goosen birdies final two holes to secure his first PGA Tour Champions victory appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Christopher Powers
With Rory McIlroy, Ian Poulter and Jason Day close behind, protecting a three-shot lead was seemingly going to be a tall task for Justin Thomas on Sunday at Firestone Country Club. Luckily for him, Thomas’ rivals made life much less stressful, with that trio shooting a combined 10 over par, allowing the leader to cruise to his first WGC victory and his third win this season, joining Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson as the only three-time winners on tour this year.

That’s not to say Thomas didn’t play well en route to claiming the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational title. He did, smartly plodding his way around the golf course and firing a final-round 69 to win by four strokes at 15-under 265. He shot in the 60s all four rounds, figuring out a course that gave him fits in his first two tries, having tied for 28th a year ago and tying for 33rd in 2016. As the tournament gets set to move to Memphis in 2019, it’s not a bad send off for Thomas at Firestone.

“I’m glad I finally played well around here,” said Thomas, 25, who now has nine career victories on tour, seven of them coming in the last 18 months. “Just in time for it to leave, but yeah, got a little choked up when I saw grandma and grandpa over there.”

Thomas’ grandfather played in the 1960 PGA Championship at Firestone, making the win all the more special.

“It’s really cool,” Thomas said. “They don’t get to come out very often anymore. This is my first PGA Tour win with them here, so that’s pretty cool.”

RELATED: The clubs Justin Thomas used to win at Firestone

The win comes after a shaky stretch by Thomas’ standards, including a missed cut at Carnoustie following a first-round 69. But it was clear he was getting close to his early-season form, this week confirming that fact, and it should give him plenty of confidence heading into the PGA Championship at Bellerive, where he’ll be defending his title. A victory would make him the first player to win the event in back-to-back seasons since Tiger Woods in 2006 and 2007.

Finishing in solo second at 11-under 269 was Kyle Stanley, who carded a two-under 68 on Sunday. While he hasn’t won, Stanley continues to impress this season, finishing inside the top 5 three times and earning over $3 million in prize money with this latest finish.

RELATED: How much prize money every player made at the WGC-Bridgestone

Dustin Johnson and Thorbjorn Olesen were the only players to apply any real pressure despite starting the final round 11 shots off of Thomas’ lead. Johnson went out in six-under 29, but cooled off on the back nine, making just one birdie and bogeying the 18th to finish with a six-under 64. He tied for third with Olesen, who also posted a final-round 64 that featured a back-nine 31.

Brooks Koepka’s three-under 67 earned him a solo fifth finish, his fourth inside the top five this year. Rory McIlroy, who stumbled to a three-over 73, was among a group that tied for sixth. Jason Day and Ian Poulter wound up in a tie for 10th with Si Woo Kim.

The post Justin Thomas cruises to his third win this year, and first WGC victory at Firestone appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The final playing of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational ends an era on the PGA Tour. Firestone Country Club has hosted a PGA Tour event for 65 years. Only three courses have had a longer run—Augusta National, home of the Masters Tournament, Pebble Beach Golf Links and Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth.

Justin Thomas, the final winner at Firestone will have fond memories of the famed layout, of course. He’ll also a significantly larger bank account. The champ bring home $1.7 million, just a little less than the winner next week at the PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club.

Curious about the breakdown? Here’s how much each every player competing at Firestone made after four rounds in Akron.

Win: Justin Thomas, -15, $1,700,000.00
2: Kyle Stanley, -11, $1,072,000.00
T-3: Dustin Johnson, -10, $510,000.00
T-3: Thorbjørn Olesen, -10, $510,000.00
5: Brooks Koepka, -9, $357,000.00
T-6: Patrick Cantlay, -8, $241,375.00
T-6: Anirban Lahiri, -8, $241,375.00
T-6: Rory McIlroy, -8, $241,375.00
T-6: Aaron Wise, -8, $241,375.00
T-10: Jason Day, -7, $160,875.00
T-10: Tony Finau, -7, $160,875.00
T-10: Si Woo Kim, -7, $160,875.00
T-10: Ian Poulter, -7, $160,875.00
T-14: Tommy Fleetwood, -6, $128,250.00
T-14: Matt Kuchar, -6, $128,250.00
T-14: Marc Leishman, -6, $128,250.00
T-17: Rafa Cabrera Bello, -5, $104,250.00
T-17: Ross Fisher, -5, $104,250.00
T-17: Rickie Fowler, -5, $104,250.00
T-17: Zach Johnson, -5, $104,250.00
T-17: Jon Rahm, -5, $104,250.00
T-17: Gary Woodland, -5, $104,250.00

RELATED: Players/officials offer fond farewell to Firestone

23: Cameron Smith, -4, $92,250.00
T-24: Luke List, -3, $87,250.00
T-24: Phil Mickelson, -3, $87,250.00
T-24: Louis Oosthuizen, -3, $87,250.00
T-24Webb Simpson, -3, $87,250.00
T-28: Tyrrell Hatton, -2, $81,250.00
T-28: Patrick Reed, -2, $81,250.00
30: Bryson DeChambeau, -1, $79,250.00
T-31: Kiradech Aphibarnrat, E, $74,750.00
T-31: Paul Casey, E, $74,750.00
T-31: Patton Kizzire, E, $74,750.00
T-31: Kevin Na, E, $74,750.00
T-31: Alex Noren, E, $74,750.00
T-31: Charl Schwartzel, E, $74,750.00
T-31: Bubba Watson, E, $74,750.00
T-31: Tiger Woods, E, $74,750.00
T-39: Kevin Chappell, +1, $66,250.00
T-39: Sergio Garcia, +1, $66,250.00
T-39: Kevin Kisner, +1, $66,250.00
T-39: HaoTong Li, +1, $66,250.00
T-39: Hideki Matsuyama, +1, $66,250.00
T-39: Francesco Molinari, +1, $66,250.00
T-39: Wade Ormsby, +1, $66,250.00
T-39: Henrik Stenson, +1, $66,250.00
T-39: Ryuko Tokimatsu, +1, $66,250.00
T-48: Daniel Berger, +2, $59,250.00
T-48: Alexander Björk, +2, $59,250.00
T-48: Matthew Fitzpatrick, +2, $59,250.00
T-48: Russell Knox, +2, $59,250.00
T-48: Ted Potter, Jr., +2, $59,250.00
T-53: Austin Cook, +3, $54,875.00
T-53: Charley Hoffman, +3, $54,875.00
T-53: Brandon Stone, +3, $54,875.00
T-53: Jhonattan Vegas , +3, $54,875.00
T-57: Byeong Hun An, +4, $52,750.00
T-57: Andrew Landry, +4, $52,750.00
T-57: Adam Scott, +4, $52,750.00
T-60: Jordan Spieth, +5, $51,500.00
T-60: Brendan Steele, +5, $51,500.00
62: Brian Harman, +6, $50,750.00
T-63: Branden Grace, +7, $49,750.00
T-63: Satoshi Kodaira, +7, $49,750.00
T-63: Pat Perez, +7, $49,750.00
T-66: Paul Dunne, +8, $48,500.00
T-66: Emiliano Grillo, +8, $48,500.00
68: Xander Schauffele, +12, $47,750.00
T-69: Kodai Ichihara, +13, $47,000.00
T-69: Shubhankar Sharma, +13, $47,000.00
71: Jaco Ahlers, +23, $46,500.00

The post How much prize money each golfer earned at the 2018 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Dave Shedloski
AKRON, Ohio — Goodbye iconic water tower. Goodbye chicken wraps and crunchy cream pies. Goodbye Arnold Palmer Bridge. Goodbye Monster.

Today’s final round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational is the PGA Tour’s farewell sojourn over the South Course at Firestone Country Club, which annually has hosted a professional golf tournament since 1954 when the Rubber City Open was elevated to an official tour event and moved to the facility that tire magnate Harvey S. Firestone built for his employees. Sure, the PGA Tour Champions will continue the tradition next year with the Senior Players Championship, but Firestone always has been a traditional home for the game’s top players, whether it was hosting the PGA Championship, the American Golf Classic, the World Series of Golf or 19 editions of this WGC event.

The tournament moves to TPC Southwind in Memphis next year, sponsored by FedEx, which pours an exorbitant amount of money into the FedEx Cup and wanted a WGC event.

“It’s a sentimental favorite,” said Paul Casey, who has nine top-25 finishes in his previous 13 appearances in this event. “It’s easy to like it here. We’ve made friends here. The whole community is wrapped up in it. There’s a nice familiarity that’s been built up through the decades here, and you can’t minimize how that makes a tournament special.”

Tommy Bolt won the first tournament played at Firestone, and four years later, as the reigning U.S. Open champion, he played a bit of gamesmanship on a young and unsuspecting Jack Nicklaus, who as an 18-year-old amateur was making his debut in a tour event.

“I remember Tommy putting his arm around me walking down the first hole. ‘Don’t you worry, Jackie boy, old Tommy will take care of you.’ He was giving me the business right off the bat,” Nicklaus recalled. “I missed six three-foot putts on the front nine, little short things. He got rid of me fast on that front nine. It’s part of the education of a golfer.”

After beginning the third round just one shot off the lead, Nicklaus slid to a 76. But he rallied with a 68 the last day to finish at seven-under 277, tied for 15th place. He would go on to win at Firestone seven times, including the 1975 PGA Championship.

“This has been a pretty special place for me,” the Golden Bear said in 2013 after visiting Firestone to receive the annual Ambassador of Golf Award that year from Northern Ohio Golf Charities. “I have so many great memories of Firestone and all the years I played here. I loved coming up here. I loved playing the golf course. It suited my eye. It suited my game. I always said, ‘I don’t care what’s going on. I’m going to get to Firestone, and I’ll be able to play well there.’ ”

Bettmann
Gary Player, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus walk up a fairway in a practice round at the Firestone Country Club during a tournament in the 1960s.

Like Nicklaus, Tiger Woods first saw Firestone when he was an amateur, playing casual rounds on the South and North Courses—the facility has 54 holes—with his father, Earl. And like Nicklaus, Woods always seemed capable of raising his game when he arrived, winning on the South Course eight times, a tour record he shares with himself (at Bay Hill and Torrey Pines) and Sam Snead (at Greensboro). The last of his 79 tour titles came on these grounds in 2013 when he equaled the course record of 61 for a second time.

“It’s always been one of my favorite golf courses on the entire tour, and it’s unfortunate that it is leaving,” said Woods, who climbed from 696th in the world at the start of the year to 50th after the Open Championship to squeak into the field. “This has been one of the very few tournaments that is kind of a small-town atmosphere. It’s a very simple, straightforward golf course, which we don’t see very often anymore. This is away from the stadium golf that we seem to play a lot now on tour. As far as the future of this event, I know it has to move, and it has to go forward and off to Memphis, but it’s one of the reasons why I tried so hard to get in this event, is because it does mean something special to me.”

RELATED: 7 takeaways from the new 2019 PGA Tour schedule

Winners at Firestone through the years have included many of the game’s biggest names: Nicklaus, Woods, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Tom Watson, Lee Trevino, Tom Weiskopf, Nick Price, Greg Norman, Curtis Strange, Jose Maria Olazabal, Phil Mickelson, David Duval, Adam Scott, Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy.

It has seen the ridiculous and the sublime. “Ridiculous” was the first word Palmer used to describe the long par-5 16th hole on the South Course, created in 1959 when Robert Trent Jones redesigned Bert Way’s truculent layout for the 1960 PGA Championship, won by Jay Hebert. Palmer was in the hunt until he suffered a quadruple-bogey 8 in the third round after hitting into the new pond in front of the green. Later he called it “a monster,” and the name stuck. Last year, a bridge near the 16th green was dedicated in honor of the late Palmer.

Ridiculous was the 8-iron Woods used to airmail the ninth green in the second round of the ’06 tournament. His ball ricocheted off the cart path, over the clubhouse roof and into a loading area, where it was picked up by a staff worker delivering crunchy cream pies. After a frantic search, Woods was allowed a free drop—the clubhouse was not deemed out of bounds—and saved par.

Andy Lyons/Getty Images
The water town at Firestone has become an iconic part of the Akron, Ohio, course.

Even more ridiculous was the melee that unfolded in the 1994 edition, played on the North Course, when an impatient John Daly hit into the group in front of him the final day. One of the players ahead was club pro Jeff Roth, whose father confronted Daly after the round and ended up scuffling with him.

The sublime includes the ridiculous 262 aggregate total Olazabal posted in 1990, well before the advent of the Pro V1 and grasp of trampoline effect. (His win in ’94 makes him the only man to win official events on each course.) Only Woods has bettered the mark, submitting a commanding 259 total to win by 11 strokes in 2000, punctuated by the “shot in the dark,” the 8-iron he struck in the gloaming that fell out of the sky and magically appeared two feet from the hole.

“Being there in person, it was inconceivable that someone could actually hit a golf ball and hit it on the green, find the green, much less land it within a foot of the cup,” CBS golf anchor Jim Nantz said recently. “Of the great shots Tiger hit all time, that would have to be on that pretty special list.”

Nicklaus also authored a memorable shot at Firestone. He blasted a 9-iron over a maple tree from 137 yards to the back of the 16th green to save par in the ’75 PGA. He called it “your basic miracle par,” and one of the biggest gambles he ever took in a major championship. Former PGA champion Bob Rosburg, working for ABC Sports, sized up Nicklaus’ prospects and uttered the words, “he’s got no shot,” that became his catch-phrase over his broadcasting career.

Because of Firestone’s long run and the fact that it hosted multiple events some years—in 1974 there were three events on the South Course: the World Series of Golf, CBS Golf Classic and American Golf Classic—it is believed that no facility, not even Augusta National Golf Club, has been televised more.

In all, there have been 88 tournaments here. Only three tour venues have had a longer consecutive run than Firestone’s 65 years—Augusta National, home of the Masters Tournament, Pebble Beach Golf Links and Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth.

CBS golf producer Lance Barrow first came to Firestone in 1976 as a runner working for broadcaster Pat Summerall, and he couldn’t believe he was seeing the iconic water tower in person.

“I remember watching the CBS Golf Classic as a kid and then coming here and seeing it for real, and thinking that might be one of the great landmarks in golf,” Barrow said. “I couldn’t believe that I was actually here to watch them play golf. It’s probably one of the most recognisable golf courses in America. Later I loved listening to guys like [producer] Frank Chirkinian and [director] Chuck Will talking about all the years they did the CBS Golf Classic. You saw Nelson, you saw Hogan, you saw Snead, Sarazen, Palmer, Nicklaus. That was cool. It was like being in a history class.

Harry How
Tiger smiles as he receives an ovation for his win on the 18th green during at the 2005 NEC Invitational, one of his eight victories at Firestone.

“Tournaments come and go, but this is one where you look back and say I was fortunate to do that tournament, to see the players who have played here and who won here,” he added. “You come back to a place over and over and you get to know people. You invest a lot of your life in one place.”

Sadness. It’s a genuine reaction players express, Mickelson and McIlroy among them, when they ponder the end of a tradition at Firestone. And that’s the crux of it. It’s not an annual tournament. It’s a tradition—perhaps not the haughty “tradition unlike any other” that Nantz says of the Masters, but a tradition rich and warm and meaningful in its own right.

“Yeah, this is our last go-around for a while,” Woods said wistfully after Saturday’s third round and thinking of his final walk on the sylvan property. “This is one of the great classic golf courses. Leish [Marc Leishman] and I were talking about it today—all it is is about a month away from [being able to] host whatever major championship you want. Just dry it out, maybe grow in the fairway here and there, and you have a major. That’s what this golf course has been over the years and we’re going to miss playing it.”

The post Fond Farewell to Firestone appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Dave Shedloski
AKRON, Ohio — His day at Firestone Country Club—and quite possibly his career here—ended at 3:12 p.m. EDT Sunday with one last birdie and with the chants of “Thank you, Tiger!” from an appreciative throng ringing in his ears.

It seemed like an appropriate sendoff for Tiger Woods, who all but owned the South Course with eight wins in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in his first 13 starts but couldn’t summon the same command in his final appearance. A second straight three-over-par 73, equaling his highest score since a 77 in the final round in 2010, left Woods at even-par 280 for the week, tied for 31st place and a bit tied up in knots with the PGA Championship immediately on the horizon.

With nothing to lose, Woods, 42, tried to go on offense on another sweltering day, but his swing and his putting stroke balked. In the end, it was only the third time he did not finish under par at Firestone South, site of the last of his 79 PGA Tour titles back in 2013.

“Today I was just trying to be as aggressive as possible and fire at everything,” he explained. “It was either going to be 62 or 63 or something in the mid-70s. I was just going to be aggressive and see what happens. I was so far back that I had to play a great round just to get in the top 10. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t.”

RELATED: Players/officials offer fond farewell to Firestone

There was little mystery why it didn’t this time. He had his worst driving day, hitting only five of 14 fairways, and he found just 10 greens in regulation. He did convert six birdies, but they were offset by five bogeys and two double bogeys, both on the inward nine and the second one at the famed par-5 16th when he went for the green in two but struck a “terrible golf shot” with a 4-iron from 238 yards that found the front pond.

“I didn’t hit the ball as clean as I wanted to,” he said. “I only putted well the first day. I struggled hitting the putts hard enough this week. It looked faster than they were putting for me, and I just struggled making that adjustment. Things could have certainly gone better, but it is what it is and on to next week.”

RELATED: The 1,000-mile drive that changed Tiger Woods’ life

Before he could think about next week, he had one final hole to play. His drive on the par-4 18th found the right side of the fairway, a blast of 358 yards. It wasn’t far from the spot where he struck the “shot in the dark,” the 8-iron approach that landed two feet from the pin to put an exclamation point on his 11-stroke victory in 2000. Lo and behold, the cup was in the same location Sunday. He dropped his approach 12 feet behind the hole and sank the putt. He raised his putter more as a salute to the cheering crowd than to the converted stroke.

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

“Yeah, how about that, huh?” he responded, when asked if he recognized that hole location. “I’ve made a few birdies there. It was a good way to end it, at least for another eight more years.”

He’s referring to an appearance when he turns 50 in the PGA Tour Champions event, the Senior Players Championship, that moves into Firestone next year. Until then, he’ll just have to settle for the eight wins he’s collected here.

The post Tiger Woods fizzles in Firestone finale, and heads to the PGA Championship a bit flat appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Christopher Powers
Firestone Country Club isn’t a design that requires much creativity or shotmaking, but it can be extremely penal if you’re slightly off your game. Justin Thomas has been anything but off at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, especially from the tee and on the greens, and it has earned him a three-stroke lead over Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter following rounds of 65, 64 and Saturday’s three-under 67.

The early part of Thomas’ third round was a bit shaky, even after making birdie at the par-5 second hole to get to 12 under. Bogeys at the third and fifth holes saw him fall back to one over on his round, but he locked in from there, making five birdies on his next nine holes, including a chip-in at the par-3 12th.

“The hard part about this course is that you can get off track pretty quick if you’re not playing well,” said Thomas, whose 14 under 54-hole total is 13 strokes better than his 72-hole score here a year ago. “That’s why with it being a little softer this week you’ve seen a big variety of scores, because it’s soft enough where if you’re playing well you can shoot low, but if you’re not, you can shoot some pretty high numbers.”

A win tomorrow would be the third of the year for Thomas, joining Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson as the only three-time winners this season. It won’t be easy knowing who is close behind him on the leader board.

“I need to go out and play well tomorrow because there are a lot of really good players chasing me,” he said.

One of them is McIlroy, who fired a bogey-free 67 and put on an incredible driving display that saw him average 357.9 yards off the tee.

“I like to hit driver as much as possible,” said McIlroy. “This course allows me to do that, it allows you to be aggressive off the tee and if you do hit it well, nine out of 14 fairways for me today is a really good number. If I can do that tomorrow hopefully I’ll have a chance.”

The Northern Irishman knows how to get it done at Firestone, having won here in 2014 as part of his three-straight win stretch that included the British Open and PGA Championship. He’s looking for his second win of the year, the first having come at Bay Hill.

Poulter had a back-and-forth finish, going bogey-birdie-bogey-birdie-bogey-par to finish with an even-par 70. He’s tied with McIlroy at 11-under 199, and is also looking for his second victory of the season.

Jason Day is at 10-under 200, while Marc Leishman and Kyle Stanley are at nine-under 201.

The post Justin Thomas holds three-shot lead over Rory McIlroy, Ian Poulter at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Dave Shedloski
AKRON, Ohio – As he reached for a beverage from the refrigerator in the Firestone Country Club locker room Saturday afternoon, a sweat-soaked Tiger Woods sighed and said, “can you believe I’ve been coming here for 21 years?”

“You’re old,” a bystander chided.

“I know,” he replied, smiling.

That fact must have been on his mind after a lethargic performance in the third round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. Amid sweltering heat, Woods saw his game go cold on Firestone’s South Course, the place he has owned to the tune of eight victories. Unable to muster more than one birdie, Woods carded an unmemorable 73 that eliminated him from contention for an 80th PGA Tour title.

Though he looked stiff and a bit fatigued, he didn’t blame his performance on anything but the quality of his game.

“I’m fine. I just played like crap,” Woods said with frankness after he fell from the top-10 to T-28 with a 3-under 207 aggregate score, 11 off Justin Thomas’ lead. “I didn’t warm up very well, I didn’t hit the ball crisp or clean. Very similar to, you know, [to] the first day. The difference is, I made everything the first day. Today, I didn’t make anything.”

Indeed, a putting performance composed of 29 whacks was no way to save a round that featured seven fairways and nine greens in regulation. He had his worst day in proximity to the hole, averaging 28 feet, 6 inches on approaches. There just wasn’t much to commend it, not even the 231-yard approach over water to the 16th green or the 346-yard drive at the home hole.

Three of his four bogeys came at one of the most difficult stretches at Firestone, at 11, 13 and 14. He birdied the par-3 12th from 12 feet to avoid a shutout, but it simply was not enough as Woods recorded his highest third round of the year. In fact, it was the first time he failed to break par on moving day.

“Yeah, I hit some good shots today, but also I didn’t feel like I was in control of the golf ball,” Woods said. “And then I had some putts where, you know, I had some good looks at it to turn it around, build some momentum, I didn’t make anything. Just one of those days.

“I just feel like I really couldn’t turn it around today. Just felt off,” he added. “I had a little bit of a pull, a little bit of a block, a little here, a little there. Just wasn’t as sharp as I needed to be, especially with everyone making a bunch of birdies. I needed to go get it today and I didn’t do it.”

Perhaps he can get it tomorrow for the last roundup for the tour at Firestone – at least for the foreseeable future. The place has been good to him, good for him. Can it be kind to him one more time as he looks to straighten out his game with an eye towards next week’s final major, the 100th PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis?

“Just try to go out there and shoot a low round tomorrow,” he said of his game plan. “Just try and build into Thursday and get some positive momentum going into next week.”

That would be nice. For old time’s sake.

The post Tiger Woods ‘played like crap,’ falls 11 shots off WGC-Bridgestone Invitational lead appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Dave Shedloski
AKRON, Ohio – He’s trending. And evolving. And still learning.

And he’s still playing, which is perhaps the best development of all.

What began as a potential season on the brink for Tiger Woods has become one of happy discovery and surprising success, reflected in his return to Firestone Country Club for this week’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. Woods had to climb into the top 50 in the world to qualify for an event he has won a record eight times, a tall order after starting the year 656th and not competing for much of the previous two years because of a back injury.

But when he tied for sixth in the Open Championship at Carnoustie two weeks ago – after leading outright through 10 holes – Woods landed smack on the number and returns to the site of his last PGA Tour title in 2013.

He hasn’t won in his comeback season, but returning to Firestone for the first time since 2014 is a triumph all its own. It gives him another start before the year’s last major, next week’s PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, and another chance to improve his standing in the chase for a berth on the U.S. Ryder Cup team.

“It was brought up to me in Tampa … I need to get in the top 50, or somewhere around there, to be able to make this event. That was certainly a goal of mine,” Woods said Wednesday. “I was just hoping to, one, play the Tour long enough to be able to get an opportunity, but I also had to play well to do it and I was ranked pretty far in the world there. Starting last December, I was about 1,200 in the world and within a year to get down to 50, I think is a pretty good accomplishment, but it also got me into this event.”

Related: Even this Tiger Woods skeptic is impressed

It’s a bittersweet return of sorts. The tournament moves to Memphis next year. Firestone, which has held a professional tournament every year since 1954, will instead host the Senior Players Championship on the PGA Tour Champions.

“This event has been very special to me over the years, and it’s sad to see it leave Firestone,” he said. “We certainly understand it. But for me, I’ve always had such great memories of this golf course.”

Woods, 42, first competed at Firestone South in the 1997 NEC World Series of Golf, but his memories of the course date to years earlier, during his amateur days, when he and his late father Earl played the South and North Course during a visit to a family friend in Cleveland.

“To be able to play when I was an amateur, or basically a junior golfer, to be able to play a Tour golf course, that was always a pretty neat thing to say,” Woods shared. “For me, to be able to not only play a Tour course but be able to win on it a few times, that’s very special.”

With his berth in the 73-man field, Woods likely is slated to compete five of the next six weeks and six times in an eight-week stretch, including the FedEx Cup playoffs, for which he hasn’t qualified since 2013. That’s a lot of golf for a man who underwent spinal fusion surgery last April.

And, who knows, perhaps he’ll have even more golf ahead if he qualifies for the U.S. Ryder Cup team or plays well enough in this busy stretch to warrant a wild-card pick from captain Jim Furyk. It probably doesn’t hurt his cause that he already is going to Paris as one of Furyk’s vice-captains.

Asked to assess his form, speaking as a vice-captain, Woods responded, “What would be the word … trending.”

Another word is evolving. “This entire year has been one that I’ve been evolving and I’m changing a few things,” he said. “Golf is very fluid, and I’ve been able to make change on the fly and they’ve worked.

“Going into this year, boy, there were so many unknowns. Even my clubs. I’ve changed shafts I don’t know how many times throughout the year, because my swing has changed, my speed has changed, and I’ve had to change the settings on my driver, my 3-wood, my 5-wood. There’s been so many things that have evolved this year that I’ve just had to try and wing it on the fly. As soon as things start to settle down, as I said, next year will be a little bit better.”

All things being equal, this year has been darn impressive.

Four top-10 finishes and eight in the top-25 in 12 starts, highlighted by his run at a 15th major title at the Open Championship. Woods briefly held the lead before his swing betrayed him while playing partner Francesco Molinari claimed the Claret Jug. Last week, the 14-time major winner chose to unwind and ameliorate his disappointment abroad, taking his two children to Switzerland.

“We had a great time hiking, being up in the mountains and just enjoying each other’s company,” he said.

He also had time to reflect on the setback at Carnoustie.

“Yeah, I did. As I said, it was going to sting for a while, and it certainly does because I had a great chance at it,” Woods said. “I played myself into a great position. I was tied for the lead at one point and I actually ended up leading outright for just a little bit. You know, I was kind of laughing at it because most of the media at the time were skeptical of my game plan. My game plan played myself right into a lead. So that part I was very positive about.”

The entire year has been full of positives. This week’s appearances is proof of that.

The post Tiger Woods returns to the site of his last victory, which is a victory in itself appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Christopher Powers
The PGA Tour makes its final stop at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio for the foreseeable future this week for the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, which will move to Memphis in 2019. It’s the the last World Golf Championship of the season, the previous three being won by Justin Rose, Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson, who will all be in the field this week.

But the story, as always, is Tiger Woods, who snuck into the field thanks to his T-6 in the Open Championship at Carnoustie. Woods has won the tournament eight times, the most recent victory being his last one on tour in 2013. That week was highlighted by a second-round 61 from Tiger, propelling him to an eventual seven-stroke victory and his 18th World Golf Championship win.

Woods will look to capture his ninth win at Firestone and his 80th career victory on tour this week alongside Jason Day, whose game hasn’t been as sharp since his second victory of the season in May at the Wells Fargo. Still, he’s managed to finish T-17 or better in three of his five starts since, but will need to improve if he wants to contend for his second major win in the PGA Championship at Bellerive next week. He and Woods tee off on Thursday at 10:20 a.m.

TV Coverage

OSN Sports 3HD will carry live coverage in the UAE/Saudi Arabia.

Thursday Tee Times (local)
No. 1 Tee
9:20 a.m. — Rafa Cabrera Bello

9:30 a.m. — Shubhankar Sharma, Aaron Wise

9:40 a.m. — Xander Schauffele, Jaco Ahlers

9:50 a.m. — Brendan Steele, Russell Knox

10 a.m. — Jordan Spieth, Matthew Fitzpatrick

10:10 a.m. — Marc Leishman, Brian Harman

10:20 a.m. — Luke List, Anirban Lahiri

10:30 a.m. — Alexander Bjork, Patrick Cantlay

10:40 a.m. — Adam Hadwin, Paul Casey

10:50 a.m. — Sergia Garcia, Charl Schwartzel

1:10 p.m. — HaoTong Li, Rickie Fowler

1:20 p.m. — Kodai Ichihara, Patton Kizzire

1:30 p.m. — Kevin Chappell, Adam Scott

1:40 p.m. — Matt Kuchar, Tommy Fleetwood

1:50 p.m. — Henrik Stenson, Justin Rose

2 p.m. — Justin Thomas, Phil Mickelson

2:10 p.m. — Dustin Johnson, Francesco Molinari

2:20 p.m. — Louis Oosthuizen, Pat Perez

2:30 p.m. — Ryuko Tokimatsu, Bubba Watson

Tee No. 10
9:20 a.m. — Byeong Hun An, Daniel Berger

9:30 a.m. — Brandon Stone, Brooks Koepka

9:40 a.m. — Cameron Smith, Kyle Stanley

9:50 a.m. — Austin Cook, Jhonattan Vegas

10 a.m. — Alex Noren, Ted Potter, Jr.

10:10 a.m. — Rory McIlroy, Hideki Matsuyama

10:20 a.m. — Tiger Woods, Jason Day

10:30 a.m. — Charley Hoffman, Branden Grace

10:40 a.m. — Thorbjorn Olesen, Webb Simpson

1:10 p.m. — Tyrrell Hatton, Kiradech Aphibarnrat

1:20 p.m. — Satoshi Kodaira, Bryson DeChambeau

1:30 p.m. — Wade Ormsby, Ross Fisher

1:40 p.m. — Ian Poulter, Zach Johnson

1:50 p.m. — Patrick Reed, Paul Dunne

2 p.m. — Kevin Na, Emiliano Grillo

2:10 p.m. — Jon Rahm, Andrew Landry

2:20 p.m. — Si Woo Kim, Kevin Kisner

2:30 p.m. — Tony Finau, Gary Woodland

The post 2018 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational tee times, viewer’s guide appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Day doesn’t speak Japanese but the message was understandable in any language. It read, simply, “Congrats, mate. Unreal playing. See you next week.” Matsuyama, whose English is improving, replied, “Thank you, JASON, see you at Quail Hollow.”

The two have played a lot of golf with one another, both on tour and as teammates in two Presidents Cups (and soon to be a third later this year). What impresses Day most about Matsuyama is his ball-striking. It’s obvious to anyone who has seen him hit a shot, with his rhythmic tempo, crisp strikes and pure power.

But in rising to No. 3 in the world and a share of the lead through 36 holes of the PGA Championship following a bogey-free 64 on Friday, the 25-year-old has shown to have in a him a little bit of Ben Hogan, who notoriously often beat balls until his hands bled.

“It just looks like that guy right now has his priority set on playing good golf,” said Day, who trails Matsuyama by two and will be paired with him and Kisner on Saturday. “Last week when he was winning that tournament, or even before he was winning that tournament, he’s on the range and he’s the last guy to leave. He’s always putting. He’s always doing something. He’s working hard. And I feel like he’s the hardest worker out here right now, just because he wants to win.”

No player from Japan has ever won a men’s major championship in golf.

The best finish by a Japanese player in a men’s major was a runner-up by Isao Aoki in the 1980 U.S. Open at Baltusrol, where he entered the final round tied with Jack Nicklaus and finished two back of the Golden Bear, who shot a 68 on the last day.

Aoki had five top-10 finishes in majors, second only to countryman Tommy Nakajima’s six. Nakajima was tie for the lead on the 17th hole in the third round of the 1978 British Open at St. Andrews when he putted off the green into the Road Hole bunker, took four shots to get out and made a quintuple-bogey 9. His best finish in a major came a decade later at the PGA Championship at Oak Tree, where he finished third.

Matsuyama isn’t sure what it would mean to become the first player from Japan to win a major.

Despite a stretch of golf that has netted six wins in his last 20 worldwide starts, including three this season, he’s also not sure what effect his impressive play of late will have on his opponents going into the weekend at Quail Hollow.

“I don’t know if the other players should be nervous or not,” Matsuyama said with a shy smile that was anything but Hoganesque following seven birdies, including five in his last seven holes to pull even with Kevin Kisner atop the leaderboard.

Matsuyama isn’t sure how he’ll feel, either. It’s the first time he has held the lead in a major championship.

“Being a new experience, maybe I’ll be a little nervous,” he said. “But on the other hand, I’m looking forward to the weekend and seeing how I do.”

Though Matsuyama has a half-dozen top-10 finishes in majors, he has performed his best this year, trailing by just two strokes after two rounds of the U.S. Open at Erin Hills before finishing second for his best result in a major.

This week at Quail Hollow, he has hit 18 of 28 fairways, 25 of 36 greens and perhaps most importantly taken just 54 putts in what has long been the area of his game that he has struggled with the most.

“For him to realize that, you know, one of his weaknesses was his putting, and being able to strengthen that to where it is right now not only through what he’s done but through the sheer hard work that he’s put in, that’s very impressive,” Day said. “To be able to change that weakness into a strength now is why that he’s so dominating right now in this current period that he’s in. That’s been impressive to see that.”

It’s all that work that might finally lead to Japan’s first major champion.

As for how significant that would be?

“It’s difficult to answer that,” Matsuyama said sitting in the interview room on Friday night. “But hopefully, come Sunday, I can come back and visit you all here.”

And if he does there will be plenty of messages waiting for him on his phone.

The post PGA Championship 2017: One of the game’s hardest workers, Hideki Matsuyama is close to one of its biggest prizes appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.