Woods will look to capture his ninth win at Firestone and his 80th career victory on tour this week alongside Jason Day, whose game hasn't been as sharp since his second victory of the season in May at the Wells Fargo. Still, he's managed to finish T-17 or better in three of his five starts since, but will need to improve if he wants to contend for his second major win in the PGA Championship at Bellerive next week. He and Woods tee off on Thursday at 10:20 a.m.<doc-sep>CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational has resumed being The Tiger Woods Invitational -- and not a moment too soon. Woods and 72 others in the elite field are competing for the final time in the WGC-Bridgestone at Firestone Country Club in Akron. Woods won eight of the previous 19 editions. The event moves to Memphis, Tenn., next year; the Senior Players Championship comes to Akron in a deal that runs through 2022. WGC-BRIDGESTONE TEE TIMES WGC-BRIDGESTONE LEADERBOARD Woods will be navigating the famous South Course for the first time since withdrawing in the final round in 2014 because of injury. An ailing back put his career in jeopardy in subsequent years, but Woods has recovered enough this season to be a factor on the leaderboard late. Round 1 is Thursday, Aug. 2. Here are DMan's five players to watch. (They are not necessarily Las Vegas' favorites to win.) 1. Tiger Woods, United States To list Tiger anywhere but first would be uncivilized. The stars appear to be aligning for him to win in a WGC-Bridgestone "walk-off.'' He needed a strong showing at the British Open two weeks ago in order to qualify, and he delivered a T-6 that pushed him into the top 50 (precisely No. 50) in the Official World Golf Ranking. Three weeks earlier, Tiger, 42, finished T-4 at Quicken Loans National. He is going to win again -- why not now? Fans at Firestone, always supportive, will be off-the-hook amped knowing they are watching Tiger, competitive again, in the final WGC-Bridgestone. Mark it down: He will not disappoint. He will feed off the "home'' crowd, put on a show and be in contention on Sunday afternoon. A victory would set the all-time PGA Tour record for most in one venue and give Tiger 80 PGA Tour titles, the latter trailing only Sam Snead's 82. 2. Francesco Molinari, Italy All Molinari did in July was win the Quicken Loans National, tie for second at the John Deere Classic and win the British Open. In prevailing at Carnoustie Golf Links, he became the first Italian with a golf major championship. Beyond the skills, Molinari, 35, is fun to watch because he genuinely appears to enjoy what he is doing. 3. Phil Mickelson, United States Phil is not going to win, likely won't contend, but he will entertain for four days because the tournament is no-cut. Phil is a fascinating figure, even deep into his career at age 48, because he always seems to be in the middle of something. Note to Phans of Phil: If he double-hits or picks up the ball in the rough and places it in the fairway, feel free to tell him that he has committed a rules infraction. (Just kidding, Phil. We kid because we care.) In all seriousness: Phil ranks ninth in PGA Tour history with 43 titles, including five majors. That all-time greats Tiger and Phil are in the field at Firestone one more time is a special occasion that should be celebrated. 4. Dustin Johnson, United States Johnson is golf's version of Cleveland Indians righty Corey Kluber in that he robotically carves courses and the competition. Problem is, Johnbot doesn't have quite the same ring to it as Klubot. Last week, Johnson, 34, won the RBC Canadian Open -- his third victory of the season and 19th career. He has earned $6.7 million this season. His mammoth drives and irons can go a long way toward taming a difficult track such as Firestone. He won WGC-Bridgestone 2016 and should have no trouble at least contending again. 5. Xander Schauffele, United States I enjoy watching Schauffele, 24, calmly and methodically work through a tournament even while he doesn't dazzle statistically. Last season, he won the Greenbrier Classic and the Tour Championship and finished tied for 13th at WGC-Bridgestone en route to PGA Tour rookie of the year. He has followed it with five Top-10's and $3.1 million in 21 starts this season. He finished T-6 at the U.S. Open and T-2 at the British. FAST FACTS Event: WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. Site: Firestone Country Club (South Course), Akron, Ohio. Par/Yardage: 35-35=70/7,400. Architect: Bert Way (1929), Robert Trent Jones (1960). Course history: Firestone Country Club, celebrating 65 years of pro golf, is the only club to have hosted three nationally televised professional events in one year (1974). In addition to the WGC-Bridgestone, Firestone has hosted three PGA Championships. The first tournament hosted at Firestone was The Rubber City Open in 1954, won by Tommy Bolt. The PGA Championship came to Firestone for the first time in 1960, then returned in 1966 and 1975 with champions Jay Hebert, Al Geiberger and Jack Nicklaus. Past champions are a list of present and future Hall of Famers, including Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Lanny Wadkins, Nick Price, Greg Norman, Mickelson, Vijay Singh, Rory McIlroy and Woods. Format: Four-day, 72-hole stroke-play competition; no cut. Purse: $10 million (U.S.); $1.7 million to the winner. Prize money will be considered official on each player's home Tour. Scope: The WGC-Bridgestone is one of four World Golf Championships sanctioned and organized by the operational committee of the International Federation of PGA Tours, which includes the Asian Tour, Japan Golf Tour, PGA Tour, PGA Tour of Australasia and Southern Africa Tour. The other World Golf Championships are the Mexico Championship, Dell Technologies Match Play and HSBC Champions. Eligibility: * Playing members of the 2017 U.S. and International Presidents Cup teams. * The top-50 players, including any tied for 50th place, from the Official World Golf Ranking as of Monday, July 23, 2018 (i.e. through completion of The Open Championship/Barbasol Championship) and Monday, July 30, 2018 (i.e. through completion of the RBC Canadian Open). * Tournament winners, whose victories are considered official, of tournaments from the Federation Tours since the prior year's Bridgestone Invitational (with an Official World Golf Ranking Strength of Field Rating of 115 points or more). * The winner of the following tournaments from each of the following Tours: -Japan Golf Tour: Japan Golf Tour Championship (2018) and Bridgestone Open (2017) -Australian PGA Championship (2017) -Southern Africa Tour: TBD -Asian Tour: Indonesian Masters (2017) TV schedule: The WGC-Bridgestone is broadcast to more than 1 billion households in 227 countries and territories in 32 languages. Thursday and Friday: Golf Channel, 1:30-6:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday: Golf Channel, noon-1:45 p.m.; CBS Sports, 2-6 p.m. Trophy: Gary Player Cup Website: www.worldgolfchampionships.com Tickets: www.worldgolfchampionships.com or call 1-844-868-7465. Fans 18 and under are admitted free to the tournament when accompanied by a ticketed adult. The 18-under admittance provides grounds access only. The policy does not apply to the tournament's hospitality venues, where everyone needs an upgraded ticket to gain admittance. There is no limit to the number of 18-under who can attend with a ticketed adult. If applicable, a family of five can attend the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational but only pay for the two ticketed adults, or, a youth soccer team can attend with its coach and only pay for the coach's ticket. Mobile devices: Fans are permitted to bring their mobile devices into the tournament as part of the PGA Tour's mobile device policy. The free PGA Tour app for smart phones is available. The app offers a map of the course; amenities; live play-by-play; and player scorecards. There are conditions for cell-phone usage on the grounds. Please adhere to the following: Phones must be in silent mode at all times. Phone calls can be made or received in designated areas throughout the golf course (shown on course map. Designated areas also include merchandise tents and inside all private and shared hospitality venues). Fans will be allowed to receive and send messages, check data and access pgatour.com and PGA Tour app on the course away from play. No video recording is permitted at any time during the week. No photography will be permitted during official competition rounds. Tournament winners: Year Winner Score Site 1999 Tiger Woods 270 (-10) Firestone Country Club 2000 Tiger Woods 259 (-21) Firestone Country Club 2001 Tiger Woods 268 (-12) Firestone Country Club 2002 Craig Parry 268 (-16) Sahalee Country Club 2003 Darren Clarke 268 (-12) Firestone Country Club 2004 Stewart Cink 269 (-11) Firestone Country Club 2005 Tiger Woods 274 (-6) Firestone Country Club 2006 Tiger Woods 270 (-10) Firestone Country Club 2007 Tiger Woods 272 (-8) Firestone Country Club 2008 Vijay Singh 270 (-10) Firestone Country Club 2009 Tiger Woods 268 (-12) Firestone Country Club 2010 Hunter Mahan 268 (-12) Firestone Country Club 2011 Adam Scott 263 (-17) Firestone Country Club 2012 Keegan Bradley 267 (-13) Firestone Country Club 2013 Tiger Woods 265 (-15) Firestone Country Club 2014 Rory McIlroy 265 (-15) Firestone Country Club 2015 Shane Lowry 269 (-11) Firestone Country Club 2016 Dustin Johnson 274 (-6) Firestone Country Club 2017 Hideki Matsuyama 264 (-16) Firestone Country Club Social media: Facebook: www.facebook.com/BridgestoneInvitational Twitter: @WGC_Bridgestone Instagram: @wgc_bridgestone King George: George Sweda Jr., former golf writer of distinction for The Plain Dealer, will receive the Journalism Award. Sweda will be recognized during the Ambassador of Golf Ceremony on Wednesday at 6:15 p.m. inside the Firestone Country Club clubhouse. Gentleman Jim: Renowned broadcaster Jim Nantz, named the 2018 recipient of the Ambassador of Golf Award, will be honored during a presentation in the main dining room at Firestone Country Club on Wednesday at 6:15 p.m. The Ambassador of Golf Award is presented annually by Northern Ohio Golf Charities to a person who "has fostered the ideals of the game on an international level and whose concern for others extends beyond the golf course.'' Nantz joins three former CBS colleagues, his longtime producer, Frank Chirkinian (1989), Ken Venturi (1998), his former lead analyst and Nick Faldo (2012), his current TV partner on CBS Sports, as recipients of the Ambassador of Golf Award. Ambassador of Golf Award presentation and dinner tickets are available for $250 each; proceeds benefit Northern Ohio Golf Charities. Contact Allie Grilliot at 330-245-2307 or alexandriagrilliot@pgatourhq.com. Notable: The WGC-Bridgestone annually donates approximately $1 million to charities throughout Northeast Ohio. Organizers estimate that professional golf at Firestone Country Club has donated more than $26 million to such worthy causes in Northeast Ohio. Sources: WGC-Bridgestone, PGA Tour.<doc-sep>
Tiger Woods makes his first World Golf Championships start in four years, getting one last tour of a Firestone Country Club venue where he’s won eight times but is hosting its final edition before the event moves south to Memphis. Newly crowned The Open Championship winner Francesco Molinari tees it up for the first time since taking possession of the Claret Jug at Carnoustie. Dustin Johnson’s FedExCup lead also figures to be on the line as the points race tightens near the top. FIELD NOTES: Hideki Matsuyama, whose closing 61 last year matched the Firestone record, also joins Molinari and Johnson atop a roster currently at 72 qualifiers via tournament wins and world rankings. The lineup features 29 of the top 30 in the FedExCup standings. … Berths remain open for Sunday’s RBC Canadian Open winner, plus anyone who cracks the top 50 in Monday’s world rankings. … Spring winners Aaron Wise (AT&T Byron Nelson) and Andrew Landry (Valero Texas Open) are among seven men making their World Golf Championships debut. … Ted Potter Jr., triumphant at Pebble Beach back in February, is playing his first WGC since the 2012 WGC Bridgestone Invitational. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 550 points. STORYLINES: Woods, who barely cracked the top-50 rankings threshold with a share of sixth at Carnoustie, tees it up on the WGC stage for the first time since the 2014 Bridgestone Invitational. His eight wins at Firestone are a PGA TOUR record he shares with himself (Torrey Pines, Bay Hill) and Sam Snead (Greensboro). … Molinari, now No.7 on the FedExCup chart after prevailing at Carnoustie, will pursue a fourth victory worldwide in a 2 ½-month span. He also won the Quicken Loans National and European Tour’s BMW PGA Championship, adding a runner-up finish on each circuit. … With three weeks left in the FedExCup regular season, Akron could produce a new leader. Johnson came to the RBC Canadian Open with just a 47-point lead over No.2 Justin Thomas, with Justin Rose and Bubba Watson also within 200 points. … A winner two years ago in Akron, Johnson also has his eyes on a fifth career WGC crown. … It’s the final WGC chapter to be played at Firestone CC, as the event relocates to Memphis next summer and the Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS Championship settles in Akron. COURSE: Firestone Country Club (South), 7,400 yards, par 70. A PGA TOUR mainstay for five decades and the last of the original WGC venues, Firestone takes one more bow this week before parting ways. Built as a generous perk from Harvey Firestone to employees of his tire company, the club opened in 1929 and eventually stamped its own name as a major stage long before the WGC series was conceived. Robert Trent Jones readied the South for the 1960 PGA Championship captured by Jay Hebert, and the PGA of America brought its showcase event back in 1966 and ’75. The World Series of Golf played its entire run at Firestone, starting in 1962 as a three-man exhibition and becoming an official event in 1976. It moved under the WGC banner in 1999. WHERE TO PLAY: Must-play courses in the area include Windmill Lakes Gof Club (Ravenna, Ohio) and Avalon Lakes Golf (Warren, Ohio). Click here to book your tee time on www.teeoff.com . 72-HOLE RECORD: 259, Tiger Woods (2000). 18-HOLE RECORD: 61, José María Olazábal (1st round, 1990), Tiger Woods (2nd round, 2000 and 2nd round, 2013), Sergio Garcia (2nd round, 2014), Hideki Matsuyama (4th round, 2017). LAST YEAR: Matsuyama captured his second WGC title of the season in dominant fashion, tying the Firestone course record with a 61 in cruising to a five-stroke romp. The Japanese pro erased a two-shot deficit when he chipped in for eagle at the par-5 second hole and never looked back, adding seven birdies before his afternoon was complete. Three came on Firestone’s final three holes, completing the run with a 6-foot birdie at No.18. That left Matsuyama at 16-under-par 264, the event’s lowest total since Adam Scott went one lower in 2011. Zach Johnson (68) led the chase pack, with Charley Hoffman (66) another two shots back in third. Matsuyama’s title joined his win 10 months earlier at the WGC HSBC Champions, when he moved alongside Vijay Singh (2008 WGC Bridgestone) as Asia’s only WGC titleholders. HOW TO FOLLOW