WGC Bridgestone Invitational 2015: Tee Times, Dates, TV Schedule and Prize Money
The final tuneup for the PGA Championship begins Thursday, as most of the world's best golfers hit Firestone Country Club for the 2015 Bridgestone Invitational.
We say "most," of course, because there are a few glaring names missing from the participants list. Tiger Woods is sitting out the week fresh off his largely impressive performance at the Quicken Loans National, and Rory McIlroy's ongoing injury issues forced him to withdraw.
“Unfortunately, I will not be defending my World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational title,” McIlroy, who has not played since June's U.S. Open, said in a statement. “Best of luck to all the competitors, and I look forward to returning to Firestone in 2016.”
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McIlroy last year defeated Sergio Garcia by two strokes before going on to take the PGA Championship. Woods is an eight-time winner at the event; his last victory on Tour actually came at Firestone in 2013.
| 10 | Rickie Fowler, Jason Day | 10:25 a.m. |
| 10 | Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson | 10:35 a.m. |
| 10 | Sergio Garcia, Patrick Reed | 10:55 a.m. |
| 1 | Jordan Spieth, Zach Johnson | 2:15 p.m. |
| 1 | Justin Rose, Phil Mickelson | 2:25 p.m. |
| 1 | Henrik Stenson, Jim Furyk | 2:55 p.m. |
Full tee times available here.
All of that bodes well for a field full of PGA contenders, highlighted by world No. 2 Jordan Spieth. The 22-year-old, who fell a stroke short of possibly winning his third straight major at St Andrews, is making his first appearance since. He has largely maintained a level head about his goals going forward despite his nearly unprecedented success.
"I would like to win one of these last six events," Spieth told the Associated Press. "I'd like to be in contention and close one of them out, stay focused on trying to win one of these six and forget about how this year has gone. This is so new for us. It's hard as a team for us to sit back and not want to soak in what's happened."
Spieth has motivation to not be complacent at the Bridgestone. Last year, Spieth turned in an anonymous 49th-place finish, failing to break 70 and shooting four over for the weekend. It was a prelude to an abysmal showing at the PGA, where a second-round 77 sent Spieth home before the weekend.
"Last year, Spieth never broke 70 in four rounds at Firestone's South Course," ESPN.com's Michael Collins wrote. "You think he doesn't know and remember that? Now he's had time off to recharge the batteries, and I have a sneaking suspicion he's done some 'extra' homework on this course. Expect a finish inside the top eight."
| Golf Channel | 1:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. | $9.25 million | $1.57 million |
Spieth will be partnered with Zach Johnson, who broke his major championship streak by taking The Open Championship in a playoff. Johnson won his first major eight years ago, took the AT&T Classic a month later and then went more than a year before taking another PGA event. Speaking with reporters Tuesday, Johnson said he's better prepared to handle the limelight this time around.
"I definitely feel like the whirlwind and everything that's come my way has been a lot more comfortable this time, for a number of reasons," Johnson said. "I think we've got a great way to combat and filter through a lot of everything that comes our way. We learned a lot the first time, and I think what we did the first time was pretty good too."
The field also features major contenders Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia, who will each be looking to build toward their first career title in one of the sport's biggest events.
Fowler's performance has taken a noticeable dive since his foursome of top-five finishes last season; he's done no better than a tie for 12th at the Masters. Despite the downturn, Fowler says he's feeling confident heading into the weekend.
“Really since the Players, my comfort has jumped another level or five or so,” Fowler said, per Will Gray of Golf Channel. “Just kind of being in that situation the last four, five, however many holes and knowing that I can pull out the good swings and make putts and make stuff happen. So it’s fun to know I have that.”
Johnson famously three-putted his way to heartbreak at the U.S. Open before coughing up a 36-hole lead at The Open Championship. He's carrying around the Best Golfer to Never Win a Major much in the same way Garcia has for much of his career. Ever the contender at majors, Garcia has finished no worse than 18th in the first three events.
It'll be interesting to see if any of them can get a win at Firestone and push themselves toward the top of the contenders pile next week.
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