Strange, Perry qualify for Bridgestone Invitational

Kenny Perry and Australia's Scott Strange picked up victories on Sunday that earned both a tee time at the 2008 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. Perry captured the Memorial Tournament presented by Morgan Stanley title on the PGA TOUR for the third time in his career, while Strange won the Celtic Manor Wales Open on the European Tour. A total of 71 players from around the world have already qualified for the Bridgestone Invitational, July 28-August 3, the final World Golf Championships event of the season.

Perry joined Tiger Woods as the only three-time Memorial Tournament champions with his two-shot victory over Jerry Kelly, Justin Rose, Mathew Goggin and Mike Weir. Both Goggin and Kelly could have qualified with a win at Muirfield Village Golf Club. Perry, a 10-time tournament winner now, will be making his seventh start at the Bridgestone Invitational, where his best finish is a tie for sixth in 2005.

Strange led from start to finish in Wales to claim his first victory on the European Tour. The 31-year-old from Perth carded a final round 64 for a 22-under-par total and a four-shot victory over Robert Karlsson. Strange has never played in a World Golf Championships event. He'll join eight other Aussies currently qualified for the Bridgestone Invitational: Stuart Appleby; Brenden Jones, who is also making his first start at Firestone Country Club; Peter Lonard; Geoff Ogilvy; Nick O'Hern; Craig Parry; Brett Rumford; and Adam Scott.

The 71 players currently qualified, including Perry and Strange, are primarily tournament winners from International Federation of PGA Tour events (with a certain Strength of Field Rating), playing members of the 2007 U.S. and International Presidents Cup Teams or playing members of the 2006 U.S. and European Ryder Cup Teams. Those 71 will be joined by winners of eligible events between now and the Bridgestone Invitational, and on July 21, the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking will also qualify. Anyone who moves into the top 50 by July 28 will round out the field and earn a last-minute trip to Northeast Ohio.

The current top 50 in the World Ranking includes 11 players who, if the field closed today, would qualify for the Bridgestone Invitational: Aaron Baddeley (No. 18, Australia); Niclas Fasth (No. 32, Sweden); Tim Clark (No. 34, South Africa); Justin Leonard (No. 38, United States); Brandt Snedeker (No. 39, United States); Robert Allenby (No. 40, Australia); Richard Sterne (No. 45, South Africa); Shingo Katayama (No. 43, Japan); Oliver Wilson (No. 46, England); Rod Pampling (No. 48, Australia) and Jerry Kelly (No. 49, United States).

Woods, the Bridgestone Invitational defending champion, captured his 15th official World Golf Championships title at the Accenture Match Play Championship earlier this year. He'll head to Firestone Country Club's South Course looking for a seventh Bridgestone Invitational title.

Tickets to the Bridgestone Invitational can be purchased by calling the Championship Office at 330-664-2299, calling toll free 1-877-942-4849 or by visiting www.worldgolfchampionships.com. For a limited time, receive a free dozen Bridgestone golf balls with a weekly ticket purchase.