JoePa's WGC-Bridgestone Invitational

[joepa66]

WGC - BRIDGESTONE INVITATIONAL -

Making the trip on Saturday to watch the action live! Love going to Firestone CC which is just about 45 minutes from me. Easy to pick Tiger since he owns Firestone. His average finish there is 1.8th place, he has 6 wins (2007, 2006, 2005, 2001, 2000, 1999), T2nd in 2004, T4th in 2003, 4th in 2002. He's a 7/4 shot to win which is good for the rest of the fields odds! I'm looking elsewhere for Top5 and Top10 finishers along with long odds. Stay off the kitchen roof Tiger! Vijay is the defending champ since Tiger didn't play last year after season ending knee surgery.


DAVIS LOVE 6/1 TO FINISH TOP 10 - His average finish at Firestone South is 10.1 place. He T6th in 2007 and was 4th in 2006. In fact, in his last 9 starts at Firestone, Love has finished no worse than 13th place once. He has finished 6th or better in 5 of his last 6 times here. Easy money?

JIM FURYK 11/2 TO FINISH TOP 5 - So it ain't so.....Jimbo has no wins in the last two years?! Ah, who cares, his game seems to be in good order recently as he's 4th in scoring average, 6th in putts per round, 10th in GIR from fairway bunkers, 24th in driving accuracy, and he's currently 13th in the FedEx standings. He's got 7 Top10s this year with a 2nd at The Memorial, 3rd at WGC-CA, T5th at The Players, and T7th at the AT&T.....so he shows up for the big ones. Plus his course form at Firestone is great with 6 Top10s in 9 starts and a average finish of 11.6th place. He T27th last year but was 3rd in 2006, 6th in 2003, 6th in 2002, 2nd in 2001, 4th in 2000 and 10th in 1999.

LEE WESTWOOD 6/1 TO FINISH TOP 5, and 33/1 TO WIN OUTRIGHT - He just missed capturing his first major at Turnberry, but 3-putted the final green to fall a single stroke behind Tom Watson and eventual champion Stewart Cink. Just before The Open Championship he lost in a playoff to Martin Kaymer at the Open de France and finished in the Top10 at the Barclays Scottish Open. He's ranked 6th on the Euro Tour where he has 3 Top10s, T3rd at The Open and the two finishes mentioned above a 2nd and T8th. He's 3/10 in Top10s at Firestone and T2nd in 2008 and has 6 Top25 finishes there. Course form and recent form both look good.

ANTHONY KIM 13/2 TO FINISH TOP 5 - More than course form I'm consider his recent form, excluding his cut at The Open Championship where he had neck problems. He T16th at the US Open, T11th at The Travelers, 3rd at the AT&T, and T3rd at the RBC Canadian until a final round disaster 73 after opening 69-66-66. Despite struggling in the final rounds this year having only broken par 3 times in 11 rounds, he ranks 1st in putting per GIR, 2nd in birdie average, and in 4 of his last 5 starts has cracked the Top 20 and Top10.

HUNTER MAHAN 6/1 TO FINISH TOP 5 - He's 1/2 in Top10s at Firestone with a T10th in 2008. Really just a play on recent form as he's 3/4 in Top10s in his last 4 starts, with 2nd at the AT&T, T4th at The Travelers, and a T6th at the US Open. He also has a T6th at the Shell Houston, and a T10th at The Master. That's 5 Top10s on the year to go along with 11 Top25 finishes.

[joepa66]

WINNER
HUNTER MAHAN 6/1 TO FINISH TOP 5