Establishment (Steve Stricker) vs. Youth (Nick Watney)

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WGC-BRIDGESTONE: Matchups | Inside the Field | The Course | Tee Times

One of the themes for the 2011 PGA TOUR season is the competition involving the younger players and the established ones. How will the veteran players -- those with significant TOUR experience and long-standing championship pedigree -- fare against the hungry up-and-comers who are looking to nudge their way into the TOUR's elite?

Each week, PGATOUR.COM will select two players and analyze their chances heading into the tournament. We'll then track which player has the better score for his team, and keep a running team tally throughout the year.

For this week's World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, just take a look at the top of the FedExCup standings. No. 1 is Nick Watney, one of the game's top up-and-coming players who has already won a World Golf Championships event this year. No. 2 is Steve Stricker, the established star with 11 PGA TOUR wins.

Will that order remain the same after Sunday's final round? Or will Stricker overtake Watney at No. 1? Or will both slide back depending on how the final leaderboard shakes out?

The two players will be playing side-by-side for the first two rounds at Firestone's South Course, teeing off at 1:30 p.m. ET on Thursday off the first tee and 9:40 a.m. ET off the 10th tee Friday.

ESTABLISHMENT AGE: 44 YEARS ON TOUR: Stricker is in his 18th season on the PGA TOUR. He has won 11 times, including the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance and John Deere Classic earlier this year. OVERVIEW: This Wisconsin native has resurrected his career and become one of the PGA TOUR's steadiest players over the last five years. Stricker lost his fully exempt status in 2004 but earned an unprecedented selection as the PGA TOUR Comeback Player of the Year in 2006 and '07. Firmly entrenched now as one of the TOUR's stars, the unassuming veteran has won seven times over the last three years. He's been particularly productive during the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, winning twice and posting 10 top-10 finishes in the 16 Playoffs events since the competition was established in 2007. He's finished second overall in the FedExCup each of the last two years, and he is the highest-ranked American in the world at No. 4. HISTORY IN THIS EVENT: Stricker is playing in his fifth Bridgestone Invitational. He has finished in the top 10 each of the last two years at Firestone Country Club. OUTLOOK THIS WEEK: Stricker is one of four multiple winners on the PGA TOUR this year. He's rested, too, having taken two weeks off after tying for 12th at the British Open. He's finished in the top 20 in 11 of the 13 events he's played this year so look for him to contend.   YOUTH AGE: 30 YEARS ON TOUR: This is Watney's seventh season on the PGA TOUR. He has won four times, two of which came earlier this year, including at the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship. OVERVIEW: Watney, who was the No. 1-ranked collegian as a senior at Fresno State, has always been a solid performer but he's really come into his own over the last two years. The lanky Californian had a chance to win the PGA at Whistling Straits a year ago, taking the lead into the final round before shooting 81 and tying for 18th. He came back this year against a world-class field at the WGC-Cadillac Championship and picked up the victory -- two years after finishing second in the same event. That win, coupled with the one that followed at AT&T National and a tie for fourth at THE PLAYERS, have helped boost Watney to the top of the FedExCup standings. He's finished 12th in the FedExCup each of the last two years. HISTORY IN THIS EVENT: Watney has played in the Bridgestone Invitational three times. His best finish at Firestone came a year ago when he tied for 16th. OUTLOOK THIS WEEK: Watney has eight top-10 finishes. He may have missed the cut in his last start at the British Open, but Watney has had two weeks to get things going in the right direction. Watney is nothing if not a scoring machine, too -- he ranks fifth on TOUR in strokes gained putting and fourth in birdies -- so he should figure into the final outcome.

Here are the results of the previous matchups this year

Score/Finish Tournament   Score/Finish   Steve Stricker 20 under (T-4th) Hyundai TOC Dustin Johnson 14 under (T-9th)   Ernie Els 4 under (T-42nd) Sony Open Jason Day 8 under (T-20th) Stewart Cink 5 under (MC) Bob Hope Classic Bubba Watson 7 under (MC) Davis Love III 5 over (MC) Farmers Insurance Open Rickie Fowler 5 under (T20) Angel Cabrera 7 under (T-49th) Waste Management Phoenix Jhonattan Vegas 2 under (MC)     Padraig Harrington 2 over (T63) AT&T Pebble Beach National Dustin Johnson Even (T55) Jim Furyk 1 under (T35) Northern Trust Open Louis Oosthuizen 3 over (T62)     Vijay Singh 9 over (MC) The Honda Classic Anthony Kim 7 over (MC) Luke Donald 11 under (T6) WGC-Cadillac Championship Jhonattan Vegas 2 under (T31)   Sergio Garcia 7 under (T15) Transitions Championship Matteo Manassero 6 under (T20)   Phil Mickelson 1 under (T24) Arnold Palmer Invitational Graeme McDowell 9 over (MC)     Fred Couples Even (T60) Shell Houston Open Gary Woodland 10 under (T13) Tiger Woods 10 under (T4) The Masters Martin Kaymer 6 over (MC)   Justin Leonard 2 under (T30) Valero Texas Open Anthony Kim 7 over (MC)     Jim Furyk 5 under (T21) The Heritage Jason Day 7 under (T9) David Toms 7 under (T18) Zurich Classic of New Orleans Brandt Snedeker 2 over (MC)   Phil Mickelson 10 under (T9) Wells Fargo Championship Bubba Watson 3 under (T48)     Tiger Woods Withdrew THE PLAYERS Championship Charl Schwartzel 6 under (T26) Paul Goydos 5 under (T10) Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial Jason Day 3 under (T31)     Vijay Singh 5 over (T27) HP Byron Nelson Championship Nick Watney 1 over (T8)   Jim Furyk 8 over (MC) the Memorial Tournament Bubba Watson 1 under (T42)   David Toms 5 over (MC) FedEx St. Jude Classic Camilo Villegas 8 under (3)   Ernie Els 6 over (MC) U.S. Open Graeme McDowell 2 under (T14)   Padraig Harrington 4 under (T63) Travelers Championship Aaron Baddeley 11 under (T24) K.J. Choi 11 under (2nd) AT&T National Adam Scott 9 under (T3)   Stewart Cink 3 under (MC) John Deere Classic Louis Oosthuizen 3 under (MC)   Tom Watson 6 over (T22) British Open Bubba Watson 9 over (T30)     Mike Weir (WD) RBC Canadian Open Matt McQuillan 5 over (T31)   Davis Love III 2 over (MC) The Greenbrier Classic Jeff Overton Even (T49)