Featured Group: Clarke, Woods

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At each PGA TOUR event this season, a featured pairing will be highlighted prior to the first round. Here is the featured group for Thursday and Friday at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational.

WGC-BRIDGESTONE: Tee Times | Picks | Youth v. Establishment

AKRON, Ohio -- Darren Clarke isn't exactly sure why he and Tiger Woods hit it off so well.

Maybe it's their "similar build, similar color, similar stature," the portly Northern Irishman said, that impish grin creeping across his face.

Well, not exactly. But Clarke and Woods have been friends for years, and the two are pleased to be playing with each other in the first two rounds of the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational.

"He sort of got my sense of humor and I got his," the affable Clarke said. "... I give him a little bit of stick and what have you. I don't think anybody gives him that much stick. But no, he's been a very, very good friend to me over a very long period of time. I've got no idea why, but we just get on very well."

Joking aside, there's mutual respect there, too. Both are former winners at Firestone Country Club and -- after Clarke's win last month at Royal St. George's -- major champions, to boot. In fact, Woods sent Clarke a couple of texts that the man from Northern Ireland said were key to his British Open win. True to form, the two prefer to keep the contents of those missives between them.

"He's always been a great friend to me, and we've been great friends for a long time going back to when we both worked with Butch (Harmon) a long time ago," Woods said. "It was great to see Darren play well. He's gone through a lot in his life. I think he's 42 now, to win an Open Championship and the one that he covets the most, that's very special to him, and the way he did it was very impressive.

"He went out and played very well and really put it on the boys on Sunday, which was good to see."

Like the rest of us, Clarke is eager to see how his friend plays. The Bridgestone Invitational is Woods' first tournament since he had to withdraw after nine holes of THE PLAYERS Championship in May due to a left knee and Achilles strain.

"Tiger has been the best player in the world for a very long time," Clarke said. "He has been the guy certainly over my career that has set the benchmark for all the rest of us. ... It is fantastic, I think, not just for you guys but for all of world golf just to see Tiger Woods back playing again.

"I'm sure he will be trying to get himself back up to where he has been before, and personally I don't doubt he'll do that. But for us to have a chance to compete against him again can only be good for the game in general. So I think it's wonderful to see him back."

Clarke, who actually beat Woods head-to-head in the championship match of the 2000 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, says he hopes to be able to make Woods laugh a little on Thursday and Friday. Woods wiil be looking for his first PGA TOUR win in 23 months, and he hasn't played a round in competition in 12 weeks.

Even so, Clarke expects Woods to be ready.

"You can practice all you want and get yourself ready, but you don't really know until you put yourself into a competitive situation how good your game is," Clarke said. "It'll be very interesting the first two rounds. And knowing Tiger like I do, I don't think he would come back to play unless he was ready to come back and play, both physically and mentally, and ready for the challenge again.

"I think we've all missed him, and it's great to have him back again, as I've already said, but we shall see what he's like coming in this week on a golf course which he's won so many times on. I think even Tiger Woods could be a hard man to beat this week because of his record around this golf course. He loves it so much and has played so well here before. I wouldn't be surprised for one to see him have a really, really good week."

The Bridgestone Invitational is the perfect place for Woods' return, too.

He has won seven tournaments on the lush, tree-lined course that the legendary Robert Trent Jones redesigned in 1960. In fact, Woods has only finished outside the top 10 once in 11 starts at Firestone with that coming a year ago when he tied for 78th.

A return to form at Firestone would be well-timed in other ways for Woods, as well.

He enters the week ranked 135th in the FedExCup with just three tournaments remaining to move into the top 125. He likely needs the equivalent of one seventh-place finish, two 24ths or three 40ths to move into the top 125 and make the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup.

Woods also stands 26th in the standings for the U.S. Team for the Presidents Cup. He is just over 2.5 million points behind David Toms, who currently holds down the 10th and final automatic qualifying spot. Players earn two points for every dollar earned and there is a $1.4 million first prize at stake this week.

PGA TOUR Season Summary

Darren Clarke Tiger Woods   2011 Top-10s 1 2 Current FEC Rank n/a 135th 2010 FEC Rank n/a 42nd Career at WGC-Bridgestone Appearances 11 11 Wins 1 7 Top-10s 3 10 Best finish Won Won (7) Last Appearance/Finish 2009/T22 2010/T78 Round 1 Scoring Avg. 69.40 67.27 Round 2 Scoring Avg. 71.00 68.45

Tiger Woods interview

Prior to the WGC-Bridgestone, Tiger Woods met with the media and discussed the status of his injured knee and rehabilitation. Watch

Darren Clarke interview

Prior to the start of the WGC-Bridgestone, Darren Clarke spoke to the media about 'confidence' and his friend Tiger Woods. Watch