Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions – 2014 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational

Fantasy Golf Picks and Predictions for the 2014 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational

This Week’s Tournament Preview

The atmosphere at Firestone Country Club will be electric this week as the PGA TOUR faces the final tune up before the season’s last major, the PGA Championship (Aug 7-10).

Like last year, the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational will be played at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio and defending champ Tiger Woods will be in the field alongside every other player in the OWGR top 50. The winner will grab an extra 50 FedExCup points (550) and the second largest non-major prize –  a whopping $1.53 million dollars.

There’s no doubt that this week’s participants will be fully aware how pivotal these next two weeks will be in making the cut for the fast-approaching FedExCup playoffs. The chance for the cup will commence with the Barclays on August 21, 2014 at Ridgewood Country Club in New Jersey, an event for which we will be providing behind-the-ropes coverage.

Signature Moments: WGC – Bridgestone Invitational

No Description

Last Week’s Fantasy Results

Last week’s RBC Canadian Open brought in a healthy $1.236 million in total fantasy earnings with our sleeper pick Graham DeLaet (T7) and ‘Top 5’ picks Jim Furyk (2nd), Matt Kuchar (T4), and Graeme McDowell (T9) all grabbing Top-10s to earn a combined $1.19 million.

Although Furyk failed to win the event outright after missing a birdie putt on 18 to force a playoff, we’re still happy to report a 3-week fantasy earnings average of $1.17 million including 8 Top 10s, 3 Top 3s, and only two missed cuts of 21 players picked.

The Field

The newly crowned Open Champ, Rory McIlroy, will no doubt be carrying a wave of momentum into Akron this week. The young Irishman has been making significant strides of late in his quest to return to his former glory, the most notable being his recent move back up into the No. 2 spot in the Official World Rankings.

Odds are that Rory will be paired with No.1 Adam Scott and No. 3 Henrik Stenson during the first two rounds  if the WGC continues to use that pairing methodology). Eight-time WGC-Bridgestone champ, Tiger Woods, will aslo come into this event as the early favorite either above or right below McIlroy.

As mentioned earlier, every player in the OWGR top 50 has committed to this week’s tournament. Another field notable will be Tim Clark who comes into Firestone fresh off last week’s RBC Canadian win. Among the newbies to WGC events will also be recent winners Brian Harman, Brendon Todd, Matt Jones, Matt Every and Steven Bowditch.

Not many know this (and Lee might just want to forget it), but Lee Westwood will be competing in his 48th WGC event and has yet to win one. If you’re thinking of grabbing Westy this week, be sure to see our picks before making any final decisions.

The Course

Firestone Country Club (South Course) measures in at 7,400 yards and plays par 70. Originally created as a very generous perk from Harvey Firestone to employees of his famed tire company, the club also has made a name for itself through the years as a stern test of golf.

The South course is known for its length and presents a series of intimidating, long par-4s and one of the longest par 5’s on TOUR (the 16th hole plays to roughly 667 yards). The challenging 16th also features a pond in front of the green which sees plenty of penalties as players try to get aggressive after finding the woods off the tee. Due to its length and daunting water hazard few players will attempt to reach the green in in two. Even a well-placed bomb down the fairway doesn’t automatically allow a player to get home in strokes.

The opposite is true on the South Course’s only other Par-5 (#2), which measures in at roughly 497-yards depending on where the tees are placed. Look for lots of birdies and eagles here to jump start a few front-9 scorecards.

Tiger won here last year with a -15 (265 strokes) and the closest competitors were Keegan Bradley and Henrik Stenson, each with -8 (272 strokes).

Firestone CC will certainly present a challenge to the world’s best, compounded even more so with the pending rain for Ohio area in the forecast for later this week.

The daunting 667 yard Par 5 16th at Firestone Country Club. Photo by VirtualClub.com.

Weather Forecast for Akron, OH (from weather.com)

• Round 1: Thursday (July 31) 77 degrees, 20% chance of rain, partly cloudy.
• Round 2: Friday (Aug 1) 79 degrees, 30% chance of rain, few showers.
• Round 3: Saturday (Aug 2) 78 degrees, 40% chance of rain, scattered t-storms.
• Round 4: Sunday (Aug 3) 79 degrees, 40% chance of rain, scattered t-storms.

2013 Results

It was at the WGC-Bridgestone last year that Tiger Woods proved to the world that he was once again a force to be reckoned with as he notched his fifth win of 2013 and his 8th WGC-Bridgestone title (he three-peated it twice).

Cruising along after a second-round 61, Woods ran away from the pack and didn’t look back over the weekend. Tiger only needed two birdies in his final five holes to shoot a 59 but ended with five pars to be victorious.

After his last few appearances Wood’s overall health still remains questionable and there is no denying that this is not the same Tiger who dominated last year. So could he really be a viable pick this week? Find out what we think in our picks segment below.

For more on the 2013 results here is wrap-up of Round 4 from last year’s edition of The WGC-Bridgestone Invitational:

Tiger Woods tournament recap: 2013 Bridgestone Invitational

No Description

Media

• Television Broadcasts
  • Thursday-Friday, 1:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. EST (Golf Channel)
  • Saturday – Sunday, 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. EST (Golf Channel)
  • Saturday – Sunday, 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. EST (CBS)
• Radio Broadcasts
  • Thursday-Friday, 1:00 pm – 7:00 p.m. EST (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.COM)
  • Saturday – Sunday, 12:00 pm – 6:00 p.m. EST (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.COM)
• Mobile Broadcasts
  • Simultaneous coverage on the Golf Live Extra mobile app by Golf Channel.

This Week’s Fantasy Notes

There hasn’t been much change to Firestone CC in the last 5-10 years but that doesn’t mean that this week’s picks won’t be a challenge.

Beware of the “easy money” trap that comes with the urge to simply pick long ball hitters here due to the 7,400 yard layout. You need to be a little more precise this week and remember Firestone averaged +1.051 strokes to par in 2013 which was the second-highest of all par 70s in non-majors last year. The track will chew some guys up for sure, and although this is a non-cut event, players can still fall out of contention quickly with a lackluster early round.

This week we’ll be looking for guys who excel in both scrambling and FIR percentages when making our picks.

Also be on the look out this week for our newly formatted Sleeper Picks where we will now be selecting one overall “outside-the-box” pick to win the event along with our new “Salary Cap Sleeper” pick to help you decide on that low priced player to build your salary cap team around.

[membership level=”0″]

Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win the 2014 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational

You must be a Premium Member to view our exclusive fantasy golf picks.

Already a member?  Sign in Here.

[/membership]

[membership level=”1″]

Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win the 2014 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational

• Rory McIlroy (Golficity Odds 4/1): Rory has been golf’s biggest story since his start-to-finish dominant win at the Open Championship. He rested last week (after partying like a rockstar) but his game looks solid and perhaps even more importantly, The Open may be proof that he’s overcome the Friday blues. Rory, now ranked 2nd in the world, has two wins in last six starts (BMW PGA Championship) and owns three top 10s in five chances at Firestone. We’ve punched our ticket and we’re all aboard the Rory train this week!
• Adam Scott (Golficity Odds 7/1): Scott has a lot of success here at Firestone, and his resume is capped with a WGC-Bridgestone win back in 2011. Hanging onto the World No. 1 spot, Scott recently finished with a win at Colonial, T4 at Memorial, T9 at the U.S. Open, and a T5 at The Open Championship. Needless to say, his name is in the mix week in and week out. Scott’s four top-1os in his last four starts also has us smiling from ear to ear this week. Simply put, Adam is a must pick in any league format, and if you can afford him and Rory in a salary cap league, you’ll be in great shape.
• Jim Furyk (Golficity Odds 10/1): Furyk looks to be as locked in as he was back in his FedExCup breakout year of 2010. More importantly, Furyk is coming off of a second place finish in Canada which marks his third runner-up in last seven starts! You just can’t bet against a record like that, and let’s not forget to mention his 4th place finish at The Open which he worked into the mix. Jim ranks first in scrambling and fifth in adjusted scoring and is without a doubt a force to be reckoned with this week. His recent streak proves that he can excel on just about any course layout right now. We’d advise Rory or Scott over Furyk if you had to choose this week but if you can get all three, go for it. Plenty of the big names are cheap enough in salary cap leagues this week to round out your squad.
• Matt Kuchar (Golficity Odds 12/1): Kuchar has reemerged after going through a “Top 10” drought (is that even a thing? Apparently for Kuch it is!) with a T4 in Canada last weekend.  He leads the TOUR in Top 10s with ten and he own two Top 10s in four tries at the WGC Bridgestone. No denying that Kuch will be a solid overall pick to win this week.
• Rickie Fowler (Golficity Odds 18/1): Sporting that improved Butch Harmon swing, Rickie is as locked in as Furyk right now, and with a killer majors record in 2014, he’s also proving that he can excel on the big stage. Since his T13 in Memphis Rickie has gone T2 at Pinehurst,  T8 at Royal Aberdeen, and T2 at Royal Liverpool. And let’s not forget his T5 at Augusta this year. Fowler also owns a second place finish here at Firestone back in 2011. We think he makes a great “under the radar” pick as most will opt for Tiger and/or Rose here.

Sleeper Pick/Odds to Win the 2014 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational

• Jordan Spieth (Golficity Odds 25/1): Speith is a newbie to this course as he passed on a possible debut here last year. Still, that doesn’t sway us  from picking him in the sleeper spot this week because he’s a contender (and debuts haven’t stopped him before). Jordan had five straight top 20s prior to finishing T36 at The Open where his lack of links play showed through. Currently, he ranks seventh in scrambling and has proven that he can navigate new courses without a problem. His game fits the Firestone layout well and he makes a solid choice for a Tier 2 or 3 pick, depending on what league you’re playing.

Salary Cap League Sleeper Pick/Odds to Win the 2014 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational

• Marc Leishman (Golficity Odds 50/1): Marc is priced pretty low in most salary-cap leagues and picking him will allow you to grab some other players worth more coin. Leishman has six top 25s in his last eight starts which includes a T8 at Congressional and a T5 at Royal Liverpool. The Aussie  ranks 18th in adjusted scoring and has the right game for this track. You can build a strong team around Leish, McIlroy, Scott/Furyk and have enough left over to scrape up a few lower priced options making fantasy chatter this week.

[/membership]

Last Week’s Results:  Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win the 2014 RBC Canadian Open

• Dustin Johnson (Golficity Odds 6/1): MC
• Jim Furyk (Golficity Odds 8/1): 2nd ($615,600)
• Graeme McDowell (Golficity Odds 18/1): T9 ($153,900)
• Matt Kuchar (Golficity Odds 25/1): T4 ($235,600)
• Brandt Snedeker (Golficity Odds 33/1): T25 ($45,458)

Last Week’s Results: Sleeper Picks/Odds to Win the 2014 RBC Canadian Open

• Charlie Hoffman (Golficity Odds 40/1): MC
• Graham DeLaet (Golficity Odds 60/1):  T7 ($185,823)

Fantasy Golf Predictions Stats: Season to Date

• Total Fantasy Dollars: $35,110,853 (Weekly average of $1,117,036)
• Total Top 10s: 41 out of 210 players picked (34.76%).
• Total Top 3s: 21 out of 210 players picked (10%).
• Total Missed Cuts: Only 30 out of 210 players picked (86.21% made the cut).
• Total Major Winners Picked: 1 out of 3 (33.3%)

Remember to visit the The Clubhouse and our private Facebook group to discuss this week’s picks for the 2014 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational with other Premium Members.

(Cover Photo Credit)