Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, & Predictions – WGC-Bridgestone Invitational

Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the 2015 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational from Firestone CC

The 2015 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational Preview

Forty-eight of the OWGR Top 50 will be in the field this week as the best players from the PGA and European Tours gear up for a huge event that will take them into the season’s final major next week.

The headliner this week will once again be Jordan Spieth with defending champ Rory McIlroy still sidelined by injury.  Spieth will set out to win his first WGC title during a season which will easily see him named as Player of the Year unless someone like Zach Johnson goes on a two-week tear.  A victory this week for Spieth will catapult him to the coveted No. 1 spot in the world rankings, finally dethroning Rory McIlroy.

Watch out for Zach Johnson this week as he will be making his first start since winning The Open three weekends ago.  Johnson knows the course well and has three top-10 finishes at Firestone, including his most recent T4 in 2013.

Dustin Johnson, who won at Doral earlier in the year, has a chance to become just the third man in history to win two WGCs in the same year if he wins at Firestone this week (Tiger Woods has done it six times and Phil Mickelson won at Doral and China in 2009).

Last Week’s Fantasy Results

Last week five of our seven picks made the cut with our horse pick (Justin Rose) finishing T4 along with our other pick to win Justin Thomas (also coming in T4).

With the 35th event of the season in the books, we are still sitting pretty with average weekly earnings of $1.063 million and 11 winners picked on the season.

Our selections have really shined in the season’s big events with us having picked the winner of all three majors this season.  We’ll certainly be looking to continue that trend with a WGC kicking off this Thursday and the PGA Championship next week.

The Field

These WGC events always seem to get fantasy players excited because the field is much smaller—similar to the FedExCup playoffs when you get down the last two events with only 60 and 30 players—but don’t jump the gun because the small field doesn’t necessarily mean the picks will be easier.  Of course your odds of picking the winner is greater since you’re picking from a smaller pool, but on the other hand, you’re picking from a field of players that can ALL WIN.

This week Zach Johnson and Masters/U.S. Open winner Jordan Spieth headline the list of 76 players with Rory McIlroy (ankle) and Chris Kirk (hand) as the only players who will be missing from the Top 50 in OWGR.

Last week’s winner Troy Merritt squeaked his way into this week’s field with his win at the Quicken Loans National.

Click here to view the complete field for this week’s event.

The Course

Firestone Country Club (South Course) measures in at a long 7,400 yards and plays as just a par 70.  The course first began as an employee perk from then boss Harvey Firestone of the world-famous tire company and since has become the host of some of the biggest PGA TOUR events.

The South course opened its doors back in 1929 and was re-worked by course designer Robert Trent Jones for the 1960 PGA Championship.

Firestone CC has an abundance of tricks up its sleeve that can catch golfers off-guard and we’ll highlight the skill sets necessary to dominate this course in our Fantasy Notes section below.

Photo credit FirestoneCountryClub.com.

Weather Forecast for Akron, OH

The first two rounds of this week’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational calls for cool weather and 70% chance of rain but the weekend in Akron should be no less than perfect. Expect 80 degree temperatures and partly sunny skies for the crucial Saturday and Sunday rounds.

Last Year’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational Results

Coming off of his big win at The Open, McIlroy continued to surge in 2014, beating out Sergio Garcia by two strokes to get back to his World No. 1 ranking.

The young Irishman nailed three straight birdies to win while Garcia (known to choke) bogeyed from the rough late in the round to squander his chances of a victory.  McIlroy never trailed after that Garcia misstep and went on to notch a 4-under-par 66 to join Tiger Woods as the only two players to win a major and WGC in consecutive starts.

Rory continued his dominance as he went on to win for for a 3rd straight week at the PGA Championship the week after.

Here’s what happened last year in Akron in case you missed it:

Highlights | Rory McIlroy rises to the top with win at Bridgestone

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This Week’s Broadcast Schedule

• Television Broadcasts 
  • Thursday – Friday: 1:30 pm – 6:30 pm EST (Golf Channel)
  • Saturday – Sunday: 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm EST (Golf Channel)
  • Saturday – Sunday: 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm EST (CBS)
• Radio Broadcasts (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.COM)
  • Thursday – Friday: 12:00 pm – 7:00 pm EST
  • Saturday: 1:00 pm – 6:00 pm EST
  • Sunday: 1:00 pm – 7:00 pm EST
• Mobile Broadcasts 
  • Simultaneous coverage on the Golf Live Extra App for iOS and Android.

Where to Play Fantasy Golf for the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational this Week

Just one more week left before DraftKings final “Millionaire Maker” event takes hold for the PGA Championship next Thursday.  Grab a seat in a satellite league for a chance to win your way into the big event.

That said, here are a few of our favorite places to play fantasy golf this week:

• LAST SHOT: PGA $3.3M MIL. MAKER SUPERSAT [1500X]: This $5 entry offers the slight advantage of a smaller player field for a premium buy-in.  Instead of the usual $1 or $3 entry we’ve decided to up the ante a couple more bucks to play in a field with less players.  Only 6,900 entrants will play here and 1,500 (21.7%) will get a free entry to the big game.  Essentially you’re spending $5 to win a $20 entry in a small pool and the odds are much stronger for you.  Win this entry and who knows, you could pick the winning team that walks away with $1 million dollars next weekend.
• $5000 PGA PAYDAY FREEROLL: Haven’t given VICTIV a try yet?  If not, this week’s freeroll might just be the place to start.  With a small player pool and a guaranteed payout, this is your chance to pick up some easy money.

This Week’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational Fantasy Notes

Beware of Firestone, the track has a sneaky way of becoming a dangerous golf course that can eat players alive.  Measuring in at 7,400 yards, this track is the longest par 70 in a non-major on TOUR.

There are only two par 5s and players NEED to capitalize on them.  The longest of the pair is also the longest hole on the PGA TOUR measuring in at a whopping 667 yards!  Eagling this hole is nearly impossible with a pond surrounding the front of the green.  Players will be forced to layup on their second shot and only the best third shots will yield birdies here.

With all this length we’ll be putting a premium on Driving Distance this week as well as GIR.  Also keep in mind that scoring average here is slightly over par but not by much (70.389).

The greens are scorable and average putters will fare well, but as mentioned, getting to the green at Firestone will be the deciding factor.  Look out for long hitters with stellar GIR stats to walk away victorious this week.

Odds are you’ll be saving Spieth for the PGA and the FedExCup Playoffs, so in our picks segment we’ll dive into alternatives that can fill the slots this week.

Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win the 2015 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational

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Last Week’s Fantasy Results for the Quicken Loans National

• Justin Rose (Golficity Odds: 8/1): T4 ($242,875)
• Jimmy Walker (Golficity Odds: 12/1): T21 ($61,193)
• Justin Thomas (Golficity Odds: 18/1): T4 ($242,875)
• Will Wilcox (Golficity Odds: 28/1): T21 ($61,193)
• Daniel Summerhays (Golficity Odds: 38/1): MC

Last Week’s Sleeper Pick to Win the Quicken Loans National

• Daniel Berger (Golficity Odds: 50/1): MC

Last Week’s Salary Cap Sleeper Pick to Win the Quicken Loans National

• Chesson Hadley (Golficity Odds 66/1): 70 ($13,400)

Fantasy Golf Predictions YTD Stats

[skill_bar heading=”Total Top 3s” percent=”13.49%” bar_text=”33 out of 245 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 10s” percent=”24.49%” bar_text=”60 out of 245 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Winners Picked” percent=”31.42%” bar_text=”11 out of 35 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Runners-Up Picked” percent=”37.14%” bar_text=”13 out of 35 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Made Cuts (Includes Sleepers)” percent=”79.59%” bar_text=”195 out of 245 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Major Winners Picked” percent=”100%” bar_text=”3 out of 3 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″]

Remember to visit the The Clubhouse and our private Facebook group to discuss this week’s picks for the 2015 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational with other Premium Members.

Want even more fantasy golf picks for this week’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational?  If so, be sure to check out our Tuesday Sleeper Report for more selections coming off 50/1 or greater odds.

Cover Photo by Penn State Turfgrass on Flickr