Bridgestone Invitational 2013 Leaderboard: Stars Pushing to Catch Tiger Woods

Barring a catastrophic choke in the tournament's final day, Tiger Woods will be your 2013 Bridgestone Invitational champion. But that doesn't mean that the rest of the field will stop trying to catch him. 

Some of the top golfers in the world will attempt to close the gap between themselves and Woods, who has built a commanding lead in Akron, Ohio. After all, winning the tournament is great, but there's something greater at stake.

The PGA Championship tees off August 8 in Rochester, N.Y. These players will want to be on top of their game for the major tournament, and gaining momentum by finishing strong here should be a priority.

Here's a look at the current leaderboard and the players who are in good shape to make a strong run in the tournament's final day. Leaderboard and statistics via PGATour.com unless otherwise noted. 

Miguel Angel Jimenez

Remember when Miguel Angel Jimenez emerged as a surprise contender at the British Open in July? Well, he could find himself contending at the PGA Championship if he keeps his current pace. 

"The Mechanic" carded six birdies in the third round to shoot a 65, good for the second-best round of the day behind Charl Schwartzel's impressive 64. 

The key to his big day was accuracy off the tee. After posting percentages of 71 and 57 in his first two rounds, he moved to the front of the pack in the category by going 85 percent from the tee box in the third round. 

Combine that with his best day on the green at just 1.5 putts per hole, and Jimenez appears to have the recipe for success on Sunday down pat. Considering he had a difficult time closing out the British Open, his strong finish here could be a sign of things to come in the PGA Championship. 

Henrik Stenson 

If anyone's going to catch Woods on the final day, it's Stenson. 

The underrated 37-year-old finished second at The Open at even-par on the brutal Muirfield course, and it appears he's parlayed that successful run at Akron. 

Stenson is second on the leaderboard and seven strokes behind Woods heading into the final day. It's likely he'll finish in second once again with Tiger so far ahead, but this round will give him the opportunity to fine-tune things before heading to New York. 

Stenson reached just 50 percent of the greens in regulation on Saturday, so there's still room for him to improve on the 67 that he shot on Saturday. 

Adam Scott

Adam Scott was far from major championship form in the first two rounds of the tournament. He fired a 73 on Thursday and a 68 on Friday. 

Those two rounds alone would ultimately prevent him from keeping up with the scorching pace that Tiger has set, but his third round offered a glimpse of hope for the Aussie. Scott has slowly improved every round, shooting a 66 on Saturday. 

After finishing T-3 at The Open, Scott will be looking to make yet another strong run at a major tournament next week. That run could start on Sunday, as it appears he is finally starting to get things going in Akron.