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| Aug. 1, 2007
By Joan Alexander PGA TOUR Staff What: World Golf Championship-Bridgestone Invitational
Dates: Aug. 2- 5, 2007
Where: Firestone Country Club, South Course; Akron, Oh.
Course: Par: 35-35 -- 70; 7,360 yards
Defending Champion: Tiger Woods
Television: GOLF Channel on Thursday/Friday; CBS on Saturday/Sunday
2007 Purse: $8,050,000; Winner's share: $1,350,000
2007 FedExCup Points total: 26,250; Winner's share: 4,725
Briefly: Another week, another victory for Tiger Woods. Woods defeated Stewart Cink in a playoff at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, making a birdie on the fourth playoff hole to take home the title for the fifth time in his career. It also marks Woods' fourth win in consecutive starts. Eligibility for the Bridgestone Invitational is determined as follows:
• The playing members of the last-named United States and International Presidents Cup teams.
• The playing members of the last-named United States and European Ryder Cup teams.
• Top 50 players, including any players tied for 50th place, on the Official World Golf Ranking as of Monday, July 23, 2007.
• Top 50 players, including any players tied for 50th place, on the Official World Golf Ranking as of Monday, July 30, 2007.
• Tournament winners of worldwide events 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 selected tournaments from each of the following tours: Australasian Tour (2006 Australasian PGA Championship), Southern Africa Tour (2007 Tour Championship), Asian Tour (2006 Volvo Masters of Asia) and Japan Golf Tour (2007 Japan Golf Tour Championship). Tiger Woods counts five victories in this tournament among his 13 World Golf Championships titles. Woods won the first three tournaments, which were all played at Firestone Country Club. Recap of the Bridgestone Invitational (1999-2006):
1999: Woods beat Phil Mickelson by one stroke in a closely contested inaugural event in 1999.
2000: Woods recorded a tournament-record 21-under to win by 11. Woods made a memorable birdie at the 72nd hole that year with darkness settling in and flash bulbs popping.
2001: Woods won an exciting seven-hole playoff with Jim Furyk to take home the title.
2002: The event was contested at the Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, WA. Australian Craig Parry shot 15-under par and won by four marking his first win in the United States and the 19th of an international career.
2003: The competition returned to Firestone Country Club with Darren Clarke claiming the title by four strokes for his second World Golf Championships victory.
2004: Stewart Cink led the tournament wire to wire and recorded an impressive four-stroke victory over Tiger Woods and Rory Sabbatini. The victory was Cink's fourth on the PGA TOUR and first in the World Golf Championships series.
2005: Woods claimed the title for a fourth time with a one-shot victory over Chris DiMarco. The highlight of Woods' final round was a 17-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole.
2006: Woods successfully defended his title in a playoff with Stewart Cink. Woods birdied the fourth playoff hole for his fifth career World Golf Championships victory in Akron.
| AN UPDATE ON TIGER WOODS |
| A closer look at Tiger Woods at Firestone Country Club: |
| Total Under-Par Score |
72-under (28 rounds) |
| Front-Nine |
39-under |
| Back-Nine |
33-under |
| Par 3s: |
13-under |
| Par 4s: |
31-under |
| Par 5s: |
28-under |
| Total Eagles: |
3 (No. 2 in the first, second and third rounds in 2000) |
| Total Double Bogeys: |
3 (No. 17 in 2005 and 2003, No. 16 in 2001) |
| Lowest 18-Hole Score: |
61 (9-under), second round, 2000 |
| Highest 18-Hole Score: |
72 (2-over), second round, 2000 |
| Lowest 9-Hole Score: |
30 (2000, front nine, first round) |
|
30 (2000, front nine, second round) |
| Highest 9-Hole Score: |
38 (2003, back nine, final round) |
|
38 (2006, front nine, third round) |
| Lowest 72-Hole Score: |
259 (21-under), 2000 |
| Highest 72-Hole Score: |
273 (6-under), 2003, 2005 |
| Most Under-Par on Single Hole: |
No. 2, par-5 (24-under par) |
| Over-Par Holes (28 rounds): |
No. 9, par-4 (1-over par) |
|
No. 18, par-4 (5-over par) |
|
| TIGER AT THIS TOURNAMENT |
| World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational |
| Year |
Result |
Round 1 |
Round 2 |
Round 3 |
Round 4 |
Total |
To Par |
Money |
| 2006 |
1 |
67 |
64 |
71 |
68 |
270 |
-10 |
$1,300,000 |
|
| |
| World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational |
| Year |
Result |
Round 1 |
Round 2 |
Round 3 |
Round 4 |
Total |
To Par |
Money |
| 2005 |
1 |
66 |
70 |
67 |
71 |
274 |
-6 |
1,300,000 |
| 2004 |
T2 |
68 |
66 |
70 |
69 |
273 |
-7 |
552,500 |
| 2003 |
T4 |
65 |
72 |
67 |
70 |
274 |
-6 |
235,000 |
| 2002 |
4 |
68 |
70 |
67 |
68 |
273 |
-11 |
215,000 |
| 2001 |
1 |
66 |
67 |
66 |
69 |
268 |
-12 |
1,000,000 |
| 2000 |
1 |
64 |
61 |
67 |
67 |
259 |
-21 |
1,000,000 |
| 1999 |
1 |
66 |
71 |
62 |
71 |
270 |
-10 |
1,000,000 |
|
| |
| Totals and averages |
| Starts |
Round 1 Avg. |
Round 2 Avg. |
Round 3 Avg. |
Round 4 Avg. |
To Par |
Money |
| 8 |
66.25 |
67.63 |
67.13 |
69.13 |
-72 |
6,602,500 |
|
• In 24 career World Golf Championship starts, Tiger Woods has 13 victories and 22 top-10 finishes. Including his two unofficial World Golf Championships, Woods has 14 wins in 26 starts. His earnings of $13,102,500 in the 20 starts would equal No. 40 all-time on the PGA TOUR official money list. • Tiger Woods has won $6,602,500 in eight starts at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, an average of $824,312.50 per start at the event. • In 32 career rounds at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, Tiger Woods has led following 14 of the rounds, including 14 of 28 at Firestone Country Club. • Tiger Woods posted four consecutive bogeys on Nos. 5-8 in the third round in 2006. The only other time he has posted four or more consecutive bogeys as a professional was in the second round of the 1996 TOUR Championship at Southern Hills Country Club, on Nos. 2-6. He went DB-B-B-B-B. He also had four consecutive bogeys as an amateur at the 1995 Masters Tournament in the third round and five consecutive as an amateur at the 1996 U.S. Open in the first round. • Tiger Woods fired a final round, 1-over 73 to win the 2007 World Golf Championships-CA Championship by two strokes. The last time he fired an over-par score and went on to win was at the 2005 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. He recorded a 1-over 71 at Firestone Country Club-South Course. • Tiger Woods has won 13 of 24 official World Golf Championships events, including five of the last seven dating back to the 2005 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. • Tiger Woods posted three rounds in the 60s last year, bringing his total at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational to 23 of 32 rounds in the 60s, including 20 of 28 rounds in the 60s at Firestone Country Club's South Course. Every year he has opened with a round in the 60s at the Bridgestone Invitational • Tiger Woods' 52nd career victory at the 2006 Bridgestone Invitational matched Byron Nelson for fifth all-time. When he won in 2006, it marked the 15th time Woods had successfully defended a title. • Tiger Woods is the only player to record top 10s in all eight World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitationals. Since the tournament's inception in 1999, he has never finished lower than fourth (1-1-1-4-T4-T2-1-1). Below is a list of players with multiple top-10s at the Bridgestone Invitational:
| |
| Player |
2006 Finish |
Bridgestone Invitational Top-10s |
| Tiger Woods |
1 |
8 |
| Jim Furyk |
3 |
6 |
| Davis Love III |
T4 |
5 |
| Stewart Cink |
2 |
3 |
| David Toms |
T8 |
3 |
| Angel Cabrera |
T4 |
2 |
| Luke Donald |
T8 |
2 |
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