Keith Mitchell Leads 2021 CJ Cup Heading Into Weekend

Keith Mitchell holds an impressive five shot lead at 18-under at the 2021 CJ CUP
 

 

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - The weekday rounds of the 2021 CJ Cup hosted by The Summit Club have concluded. American Keith Mitchell leads the tournament with an impressive score of 18-under and a five shot lead over Seonghyeon Kim, Jordan Spieth, Harry Higgs and Adam Scott.

Since this is an invitational event with a smaller field, there is no cut this week.

 

MITCHEL ON FIRE AT THE SUMMIT CLUB

Keith Mitchell is having himself a week so far in Las Vegas.

 

He started the tournament on Thursday by shooting 62 in a round that included ten birdies and a five-hole birdie streak on the front nine. 

 

A 64 on Friday saw Mitchell take the lead early into his round and soon afterwards a runaway was looking imminent.

All parts of Mitchell's game were firing on all cylinders, from making long putts, to excellent wedge shots when he found trouble, to impressive approach shots; he was locked in.

 

Mitchell even received praise from Rory McIlroy, who has been impressed with his quality of golf for quite some time now. 

 

 

HOW ARE OUR PICKS DOING?

1) Dustin Johnson: T55 at 4-under

2) Marc Leishman: T49 at 5-under

3) Justin Thomas: T28 at 8-under

Not too great, considering the field size. Johnson nearly carded an albatross during his second round on the par 5 3rd hole, which measures a staggering 606 yards. Johnson nearly holed out from the fairway from 283 yards, his ball landing on the green, then hitting the flagstick before coming to rest, inches away from the hole. 

 

The shot of the day however belongs to Abraham Ancer, who actually holed out for albatross on the par 5 14th hole, from a distance on 250 yards.

***

It may be looking like a runaway for Keith Mitchell. Will someone be able to catch him this weekend? Will Mitchell be able to hold on? 

Stay tuned for our summary article to see who has won,

-Nick

Toronto Golf Reviews

Kisner Triumps Through 6-Man Playoff to Win 2021 Wyndham Championship

 

Through all the chaos and drama, Kevin Kisner wins the 2021 Wyndham Championship (image: Chris Seward/AP)

 

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA

It's safe to say that the 2021 PGA Tour season went out with a bang.

 

After much drama, on what was perhaps one of the most hectic Sundays of the season, Kevin Kisner has emerged victorious at Sedgefield Country Club. It wasn't easy though; he needed to battle through a six-man playoff that consisted of Adam Scott, Kevin Na, Branden Grace, Si Woo Kim and Canadian Roger Sloan, all who finished their final rounds at 15-under.

 

This is Kisner's fourth win on the PGA Tour and first since 2019. The win propels him up the FedEx Rankings to 29th place and also secures his PGA playing status through the 2022-2023 season.

 

 

15-UNDER TO THE PLAYOFF

The craziness that was the final round was progressing quite normally until the second half. 54 hole leader Russell Henley led the tournament at 17-under, with a two shot lead over Justin Rose. But on the 11th hole, Henley missed a two-foot putt for par and dropped a shot. His lead would soon evaporate, as he would go on to bogey holes 12, 14 and 18, missing the playoff by a single stroke. He shot a 71 on the day; the only score in the 70s out of the top 35 players.

 

Meanwhile, Kevin Kisner, Kevin Na, Brandon Grace and Roger Sloan all started their days four shots off the lead at 11-under, while Adam Scott started five shots back and Si Woo Kim six shots back. 

 

Each player managed to get to the infamous 15-under in their own unique way. Kisner managed to birdie holes 16 and 17, hitting a remarkable approach shot on the 17th hole to a few feet for an easy birdie. Kevin Na eagled the par 5 15th hole, but faced a tough up-and-down on the 18th hole. He sunk his par putt and remained at 15-under.  Brandon Grace birdied holes 15 and 16 and needed birdie on the 18th hole to get into the playoff. One long clutch putt later and he was in. All three shot 66s.

 

Si Woo Kim carded the low score of the bunch, with a 64 that included birdies on 13 and 17, and a eagle on the par 5 5th hole. Adam Scott also played his final few holes well, carding back-to-back birdies on 15 and 16. And finally, the Canadian Roger Sloan carded back-to-back birdies on 16 and 17 to get to 15-under.

 

When it was all said and done, the playoff featured six players, setting the record for the largest playoff in PGA Tour history, in terms of participants. To me, these final rounds summarized exactly what the Wyndham Championship is all about; a hectic, crazy last-dash to get into the playoffs, whether it be the FedEx Cup Playoffs or tournament playoffs.

 

 

A PLAYOFF TO REMEMBER

With the players all set, the sixsome headed back to the 18th tee to start the playoff. 

 

All six players hit decent tee shots, but it was their approaches to the green where things got interesting. Scott and Sloan both found the green with theirs, Kisner landed just short of the green, as did Grace, Na ended up in the greenside bunker and Kim overshot the green. Scott had the advantage, being closest to the hole and on the green. Amazingly though, Na managed to chip out and sink a long putt for par, Kisner, Grace and Kim both chipped and putted for par, and Sloan missed his birdie putt by also carded a par. 

 

It was all down to Scott, who from the looks of it had an easy putt for the win. He studied the putt with his caddie for a little bit, assuming there would be a significant break in it. But there was no break and Scott missed the putt, to everyone's amazement. He too parred so back to the 18th tee box the sixsome went; six players, six different strategies, yet the same score....again.

 

This time though, only Sloan, Kisner and Scott found the fairway, and the advantage was in their favor now. Again, we saw a variety of approaches to the 18th green. Kim found the greenside bunker, Kisner landed on the green and close, as did Brandon Grace. Scott landed on the green but further away from the flag, as did Sloan and Na overshot the green. It looked as though birdie attempts were possible for Grace and Kisner. Grace putted first but missed his birdie putt, after coming very close. But Kisner, keen not to extend the playoff any longer, sank his birdie putt. And it was good enough for the win, as the rest of the field could only manage pars.

 

Shortly after sinking the putt, Kisner was heard saying this was his first playoff win. In fact, up to that point in his career, Kisner had been in five previous playoffs on the PGA Tour but couldn't convert in either of them, the most famous being the 2015 Players Championship. His streak was finally broken and what a way to do it.

 

 

SEDGEFILED VERSUS THE WEATHER

The chaos of the final round began even before the first tee shot was taken on Sunday. As a result of the inclement weather forecasted for the afternoon, all tee times were bumped up by several hours, with three to a time slot. The final group teed off just after 9am local time. 

 

This led to all sorts of TV scheduling conflicts, as the Ladies Scottish Open and US Amateur were also being broadcasted, among other sports. In Canada, pre-recorded final round coverage was aired in the afternoon, and viewers were not able to watch the final round live unless they were subscribed to various US network streaming services. 

 

As for Sedgefield itself, the course continued to remain vulnerable, with sub-60 round being had by all players virtually in contention. The low round of the day was a 62 shot by Chesson Hadley, aided by a hole-in-one on the par 3 16th hole. This was Hadley's first hole-in-one ever, both professionally or as an amateur.

 

 

FEDEX CUP RANKINGS SHAKE-UP

As if all the above drama was not enough, the FedEx Cup Playoffs battle was still being hotly contested during the final round. 

 

Ryan Armour (122nd), Patrick Rodgers (123rd) and Bo Hoag (125th) all fell below the 125th place cutoff after all missing the cut.

 

Chesson Hadley remarkably finished right in 125th place. This finish guarantees him his Tour card through next season as well as entry into the playoffs.

 

Roger Sloan shot up 39 places from 131st to 92nd as a result of his T2 finish. 

 

Scott Piercy also made it into the playoffs, going from 126th to 116th.

 

Justin Rose, who needed a good finish this week to get into the playoffs, came up one place short at 126th. He was left with a short par putt on the 18th green, but unfortunately missed it. That putt was costly though, as he finished two shots back, but at T10. In a normal tournament, finishing two back would put you in a higher place on the leaderboard, hence more points, but that was not the case this week due to the large playoff contingent. It also didn't help that Hadley had an excellent finish to the tournament.

 

 

MATTHEW WOLFF IS A WINNER TOO THIS WEEK 

Despite being cut from the tournament, Matthew Wolff is still a winner this week. He wins the season-long AON Risk Reward Challenge this year and a cheque for 1 million dollars.

 

The AON Risk Reward Challenge is quite neat. It's a challenge designed to reward players who score well on the toughest holes in each tournament. The way it works is that each week, a hole at a tournament is chosen, with each player's score for that hole being recorded. Whoever has the best score at the end of the year, wins the challenge. Think of it as a single round of golf made up of one hole from each tournament. For this week, the 15th hole was chosen, where Wolff carded a par and birdie in his two rounds.

 

 

CANADIAN PRESENCE AT SEDGEFIELD

Amidst all the chaos of the Wyndham Championship, it should be noted that Canadians were well represented on the leaderboard, with three being in the top-10 alone (Roger Sloan T2, Nick Taylor T10 and Adam Hadwin T10). 

 

As for the FedEx Cup Playoffs, Sloan, Taylor, Hadwin and Mackenzie Hughes are all in it.

 

We've being saying this for years, but Canadian professional golf is in good hands, both on the PGA and LPGA Tour.

 

 

PICKS RESULTS

To wrap it all up, here is how our picks finished off the week:

 

1) Justin Rose: T10 at 13-under

2) Tommy Fleetwood: T65 at 1-under

 

Again, you have to feel bad for Rose's situation. And Fleetwood's was no better, plummeting down the leaderboard after weekend scores of 72 and 73. The two don't get into the playoffs but on the upside will have some time off in the upcoming weeks.

***

Whew, let's all take a deep breath now and exhale. That ends the 2020-2021 PGA Tour season and what a way to go out. From collapses, to weather disruptions, to TV conflicts, to a six-man playoff, the 2021 Wyndham Championship had it all this year and lived up to the hype. 

But now the serious fun begins, as the FedEx Cup Playoffs commence with the first event of the playoffs, The Northern Trust (formerly The Barclays) at Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey.

Stay tuned for our coverage of that and much more,

-Nick

Toronto Golf Reviews

Shane Lowry Wins the 2015 WGC Bridgestone Invitational

After four rounds of play on Firestone Country Club's South Course, this year's edition of the WGC Bridgestone Invitational has concluded, with the winner being Shane Lowry. The Irishman finished with a final score of 11-under and a win by two shots over Bubba Watson. This is Lowry's first WGC win and first win in three years. He also takes home many World Golf Rankings points which will boost his ranking from 48th (as he stood when he entered the tournament) and has earned a PGA Tour card for three years.

Lowry shot a 66 for his final round today, which consisted of four birdies, including one on the final hole. However, he did run into trouble a few times today but recovered, or rather, "escaped" well. One incident involved a severely hooked tee shot, followed by a pitch over a tree, then a birdie putt. Another involved a bunker and a shot through a tree which led to his birdie on the 18th. He played solid golf all week and went low at times when many players could not. That was key to his success this week.

On a whole, the weekend rounds scored significantly better than the weekday rounds. Low scores were shot all around the South Course and the low round was a 63 shot by Justin Rose and Steven Bowditch. Saturday AKA Moving Day, really lived up to it's name as we saw a mish-mash on the leaderboard as the day progressed. Sunday's rounds were more toned down, but still full of exciting golf.

Our picks didn't finish off too well. Dustin Johnson shot a 75/76 on the weekend (in contrast with the theme of low scores on the weekend) to finish T53 at 7-over. Victor Dubuisson finished a shot ahead of Johnson. And Adam Scott finished a shot ahead of Dubuisson. TGR favourite Graeme McDowell did finish well however, at T17 (1-under). This is one of GMac's best finishes of the year, which is always a good sign.

Next week is the last major of the year, the PGA Championship, which will return to Whistling Straits for the first time since 2010. The storylines are already flowing, with Dustin Johnson being at the centre of them (remember how he would have won if it wasn't from a certain bunker?). That's all coming next week, so be sure to check out our daily coverage of the tournament next week.


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Irishman Shane Lowry Wins the 2015 Bridgestone Invitational

Furyk Leads by Four Halfway Through WGC Bridgestone Invitational

After two rounds of play on Firestone's South Course, PGA Tour veteran Jim Furyk holds a four shot lead at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational, going into the weekend. He sits at 8-under; behind him, a three-way tie for second between Irishman Shane Lowry, Bubba Watson, and our pick Dustin Johnson. There is also no cut this week since this is a WGC event.

The South Course wasn't giving up much in the form of low scores over the first two days and played tough. The scoring average of the field was probably around even par or just slightly less, but some low scores were found by some. Australia's Danny Lee shot a 65 in the opening round and our leader Jim Furyk shot back to back 66's. Jim's round today was back and forth, a real battle, consisting of seven birdies and three bogeys. The course today played a bit tougher than yesterday however, with more players shooting over par rounds than sub par rounds.

Another round of note was that of TGR favourite Graeme McDowell, who sits T5 at 3-under. GMac went 66/71 for his first two rounds but despite his higher score today, he admitted in his post-round interview that he still played great and is happy to be in the position he's in. This is the first time in quite a bit where GMac's been in contention. Best of luck to him this weekend.

Finally, here's how our picks are doing so far:

1) Adam Scott: T26 at 1-over
2) Dustin Johnson: T2 at 4-under
3) Victor Dubuisson: T34 at 2-over

Good considering the conditions. Scott opened with a 72 but came back with a 69 today. Johnson once again is showing us why he's the best golfer in the world who hasn't won in the past few months. He shot a 69/67 so far and always seems to be T5 or higher at some point in every tournament he plays in. Dubuisson started strong with a 68 but faltered slightly today with a 74 (which included three straight bogeys).

There's still lots of golf to be played, so anything can happen. Stay tuned Sunday evening for our Results post...


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Can Jim Furyk hold onto his lead for his second win this year?

2015 WGC Bridgestone Invitational Picks

Just one week before the season's last major, the world's top players flock to the South Course at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, for the 3rd WGC event of the season, the WGC Bridgestone Invitational. This is one of the more elite tournaments played on tour and offers one of the largest purses, at $9.25 million. And being a WGC event, it also offers many World Golf Rankings points for the winner and good finishes.

Like other invitational events on Tour and other WGC events, the field at the Bridgestone Invitational is restricted, in this case to just 75 players; most of which are some of the world's best players. The top 50 players on the World Golf Rankings automatically get an invite. Playing members of the last Presidents/Ryder Cup also get an invite. Specific winners on the PGA Tour of Australasia, Sunshine Tour, Asian Tour, and Japan Tour are also invited, resulting in a truly multi-national, diverse, and dense field this week, which is a trait of WGC events.

The South Course has hosted the Bridgestone Invitational since it's inception as a tournament (except for a single instance in 2002). It's the oldest course at Firestone, having been opened in 1929 (designed by Bert Way at the time). In 1960, it underwent a major renovation by Robert Trent Jones and today plays as a par 70, measuring at just under 7,200 yards. It's infamously known as "The Monster", a name given to the South Course by Arnold Palmer due to it's difficulty. One of the more notable holes is #16, a 667-yard par 5, which measures as one of the longest on tour.

This is one of my favourite tournaments to make picks for but also one of the harder ones, due to the top class players in the field. Given that, here's my picks this week:

1) Adam Scott
2) Dustin Johnson
3) Victor Dubuisson

Adam Scott won this tournament in 2011; his first win with his new caddie Steve Williams. Dustin Johnson is on fire at the moment but hasn't capitalized much. And Victor is our dark horse pick this week.

Play kicks off tomorrow morning so stay tuned for our Weekend Update post,


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Adam Scott is our top pick this week

Bubba Watson Wins the 2014 WGC-HSBC Champions

After a final round that saw several players come within a shot of the lead over the last few holes, the 2014 HSBC Champions at Sheshan Golf Club (Shanghai) is now over and the winner this year is Bubba Watson, after a one hole playoff battle between South African Tim Clark and himself. The two of them finished the tournament at 11-under (-11) but on their first playoff hole, a birdie by Watson and a par by Clark decided it. With this win, Bubba now moves up to 7th on the World Golf Rankings. He would of taken home valuable European Tour playoff points as well, had he been a member of the European Tour.

Things weren't looking good for Bubba after going bogey, double bogey on the 16th and 17th holes. On the 18th hole, he found himself in a bunker on the par 5, about 60 yards away from the green, going for eagle. He hit his sand shot and watched in land on the green and roll into the hole, catapulting him back into the tournament by putting him at 11-under, much to everyone's surprise.

It was really anyone's tournament up until the last few holes. With Bubba and Clark both in earlier at 11-under, the last hole saw chances by Graeme McDowell, Martin Kaymer, and Hiroshi Iwata to join this playoff (I thought for sure one of my picks would win it!). Both GMac and Iwata had birdie putts that would have done just that, but both missed. Sunday got the best of McDowell again as he unfortunately finished over par once again, despite holding the lead going into the weekend. For Iwata, a win this week would have been huge for his career, as a WGC win makes a player eligible for a variety of things such as tour cards and major eligibility.

On the other hand, Kaymer's tournament finished abruptly on the par 5 18th hole. After laying up, Kaymer hit a good shot that landed right of the green and unfortunately rolled into the water, ending his chances at a playoff.

Oddly enough, McDowell and Kaymer still benefited points-wise from the tournament. McDowell finished T3 but all of the players ahead of and tied with him are not European Tour members, thus the Race to Dubai playoff points they won mean nothing. So in the end, GMac ends up winning the most points at the end of the week, which is a big bonus with only two more events to go. Kaymer finishing T6 takes home the second most points, along with the people he is tied with. GMac and Kaymer are now ranked 9th and 10th in the Race to Dubai points list, respectively.

Finally, here is how our picks finished the tournament:

1) Graeme McDowell: T3 at 10-under (-10)
2) Martin Kaymer: T6 at 8-under (-8)
3) Adam Scott: T12 at 5-under (-5)

Good finishes all round, however one again GMac comes up short at this tournament. I think he'll win a WGC soon enough though.

Next week is the second last European Tour playoff event, the Turkish Airlines Open in Antalya, Turkey, so stay tuned for our coverage of that.

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Bubba holes out for eagle on the 18th hole at the 2014 HSBC Champions

Graeme McDowell Leads Going Into The Weekend At The HSBC Champions

We're halfway through the rounds of the 2014 HSBC Champions (with the third round set to start shortly due to the time difference) at Sheshan Golf Club in Shanghai and one of our picks (and TGR favourite) Graeme McDowell leads going into the weekend with a score of 10-under and a three shot lead over Ian Poulter.

The Northern Irishman started his week of with a pair of 67's and had a combined total of twelve birdies through those rounds. Gmac seems to be playing very good golf in the past few weeks. While it's still too early to say, a win for GMac this week could prove helpful in the last few weeks of the European Tour Playoffs. He leads ahead of Ian Poulter who birdied four out of his last five holes to gain second place.

Sheshan was slightly vulnerable in the first few rounds, with good scores being shot all around. The low round of the week so far was shot by Japanese golfer Hiroshi Iwata, with a 7-under 63. Some players were not so lucky in their opening rounds, such as another TGR favourite Miguel Angel Jimenez, who shot a 78 in his opening round.

Even more unlucky was Australian Brody Ninyette, who shot a 86 90 and is in last place with a score of 32-over (+32). Brody battled through stomach issues before and during his rounds. The main reason he continued to play though was the guarenteed $40,000 he would get; since this even has no cut, all players get a paycheck. However a scorecard signing error resulted in Brody being disqualified. Ninyette's second round score of 90 was a tournament record and beat the old one by six shots.

Also in the news was Patrick Reed, who during his opening round muttered homophobic remarks to himself that were caught by Tv microphones, after three-putting the 10th hole. He has since apologized via Twitter.


Finally here is how our picks are doing so far:

1) Graeme McDowell: 1st at 10-under (-10)
2) Martin Kaymer: T11 at 3-under (-3)
3) Adam Scott: T15 at 2-under (-3)

Good results all over the board. I would personally like to see Adam Scott win another tournament before the year ends.

Stay tuned for our Sunday post on who won the tournament,


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Can GMac hold onto his three shot lead and win the HSBC Champions?

2014 WGC HSBC Champions Picks

The second event of the European Tour Playoffs and last WGC event of the year has begun, we are of course talking about the WGC HSBC Champions, being played at Sheshan Golf Club in Shanghai, China. This week, we'll be seeing 79 of the top players from all parts of the globe playing for valuable WGC points as well as points for other merits.

The HSBC Champions is probably one of the most prestigeous tournaments of the entire season, mainly because of what's needed to get an invite. Invitations are sent out to basically players who have won top-ranked tournaments on their respective tours and anyone in the Top 50 of the WGC. The Top-15 on the European Tour Race to Dubai Ranking as well the Top-5 players from the previous FedEx Cup also get an invite. Due to this, the field is full of the world's best golfers; you're pretty much getting the best of the best in this tournament. It's for this reason that I think it's one of the best stroke play tournaments of the year; it really shows how global the game of golf is too.

The tournament returns to Sheshan Golf Club again this year, after being played in 2012 at Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, China. Sheshan has hosted the HSBC Champions ever since the tournament was created.The course is also known for it's lengthly par-3's as well as it's 8th hole, a 603-yard par 5.

As I mentioned before, given the immense depth of players in the field this week, it was hard to choose three picks to win. Ultimately here is who I ended up choosing:

1) Graeme McDowell
2) Martin Kaymer
3) Adam Scott

Stay tuned for our Friday post to see who's leading going into the weekend,


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

The 2014 Barclays Picks - Weekend Update

The cut has been made and there are only two more rounds left of the 2014 Barclays. The co-leaders going into the weekend rounds are Cameron Tringale and Adam Scott, who both lead at 8-under (-8). The hold a one shot lead. The cut this week has also been set at 1-over (+1).

Scoring conditions were good in both rounds and especially in today's round. The low round of the day was a 7-under 64 which was shot by a few players.

A round of note was that of Rory Mcilroy. Rory shot a 74 in his first round, but then rallied to shoot a 65 today, which is good enough for a T27 place.

Here are how our picks are doing:

1) Graeme McDowell: T16 at 4-under (-4)
2) Rickie Fowler: T50 at 1-under (-1)
3) Jason Day: T6 at 6-under (-6)

Jason Day was one of the players who shot the low round of the day. He's probably the most consistent player on tour in terms of his place on the leaderboard. It always seems that he's in and about the top of it.

Stay tuned for the winner this Sunday evening,

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

2014 WGC Bridgestone Invitational Picks - Results

The final round of the 2014 WGC Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club has concluded and the winner this year is none other than the Northern Irish star Rory Mcilroy, who rallied against Sergio Garcia to win the tournament by two shots. Rory finished the tournament at 15-under and took advantage of a faltering Garcia; the two were paired together in the final round.

This is his second win in just two weeks, his last of course being the Open Championship, as well as his first WGC win. With this win, he regains his spot as No. 1 in the World Golf Rankings, overtaking Australian Adam Scott.

Garcia struggled today slightly and shot a 1-over 71 during his final round, along with his 61 Earlier this week. To be fair, no one wants to be chased by McIlroy in a tounament

Tiger Woods also withdrew from his final round today due to back pains. He hit an awkward shot out of the bunker on the second hole and shortly after on the ninth hole withdrew.

As for our picks, here is how they finished their rounds:

1) Graeme McDowell: T8 at 7-under (-7)
2) Miguel Angel Jimenez: T45 at 3-over (+3)
3) Adam Scott: T8 at 7-under (-7)

McDowell records another great finish and Scott needed to finish just a few spots higher to hold onto his No. 1 spot.

Stay tuned  next week for our coverage of the year's final major, the PGA Championship,

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

 McIlroy Wins the 2014 WGC Bridgestone Invitational (Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

2014 WGC Bridgestone Invitational Picks - Weekend Update

The weekday rounds have now concluded at the 2014 WGC Bridgestone Invitational at the South Course at Firestone Country Club. The leader going into the weekend is Spanish golfer Sergio Garcia, who shot an impressive 68 61 to stand at 11-under (-11) with a three shot lead over Englishman Justin Rose. And since this is a WGC event, there is no cut this week.

Garcia shot a stunning back nine score of 27 earlier in his round today, which is a new record. He birdied every single hole on the back nine except for No. 11 and made eleven one-putts over his entire round. His spectacular play even impressed playing partner Phil Mickelson, who fist-bumped him after his round.

Weather conditions were not too bad over the two rounds, but there was a lingering threat of precipitation during the end of the last round. Saturday's tee times have also been moved up slightly to take into account possible weather conditions.

As for our picks, here is how they are doing:

1) Graeme McDowell: T36 at 1-over (+1)
2) Miguel Angel Jimenez: T18 at 2-under (-2)
3) Adam Scott: T12 at 3-under (-3)

It always amazing to see Miguel Angel Jimenez near the top of the leaderboard week after week. Truly a remarkable player no doubt.

Tiger Woods is also tied for 25th and 10 shots back

Stay tuned Sunday evening to see who ended up winning the tournament this year,

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

 Is Sergio Garcia's lead good enough for the win? (Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

2014 WGC Bridgestone Invitational Picks

Tomorrow is the start of the 2014 WGC Bridgestone Invitational at the South Course at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. This is the third out of four World Golf Championship (WGC) events played during the season. WGC events are really unique and elite tournaments for a few reasons. They typically give out more prize money than majors, offer a lot of World Golf Rankings points, and feature a lower number of players in the field.

As for the Bridgestone Invitational in order to be "invited" a player must have done one of the the following. i) play on the previous Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup team (whichever was more recent). ii) Rank in the top 50 in the World Golf Rankings. iii) Be a winner of one select tournament on other tours (Japan Tour, Sunshine Tour, etc.). The tournament's purse is also $9 million.

Firestone Country Club is also one of the tougher courses that players will play during the golf season and usually ranks within the top 5 courses of average shots over par. It's also a long course; 7400 yards and only a par 70. However this has not seemed to deter Tiger Woods over the years, who has won this tournament eight times, his last win coming just last year. He's no doubt a favourite going into the tournament.

Finally here are our favourites for the winner this week:

1) Graeme McDowell: He's played really well in the past two weeks and in the previous two WGC events, including a T10 last week. We're always picking him when he plays.

2) Miguel Angel Jimenez: He may be the oldest player in the field this week, but he did tie for 4th place last year. He also has to do well this week to hopefully ensure a Ryder Cup spot.

3) Adam Scott: A T5 at the Open Championship among others means that his game is in a good spot at the moment. He also knows what it takes to win this tournament, having won it in 2011.

Stay tuned Friday for our Weekend Update of the 2014 Bridgestone Invitational,

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews