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Woods looking for perfect Firestone farewell

Neill Simpson 31 st July 2018

The world’s top 50 golfers congregate at Firestone Country Club and the WGC Invitational for one final time this week, as the iconic club bids farewell to a tournament it has hosted since 1999.

With the tournament featuring new sponsors FedEx from next year, it seems fitting that it is being shifted over to Memphis, the headquarters of the logistics giant, despite the belief of many that the tournament should remain at Firestone.

First commissioned 89-years ago by Harvey Firestone as a park for employees of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, the private course now boasts 54-holes and has hosted several elite events including two Senior Players Championships, three PGA Championships and of course the WGC Invitational since 1999.

It is a course that has seen golf’s elite celebrate success down the years, from Jack Nicklaus who has registered seven wins, to the likes of Tom Watson, Lee Trevino, Greg Norman and Jose Maria Olazabal.


However, no golfer has been more successful at Firestone than Tiger Woods, who incidentally qualified by moving up to 50th in the World Rankings following his tied 6th at the recent Open Championship. Woods has tasted success on no less than eight occasions at the course, with only the legend Sam Snead that can match that at a same venue on the PGA Tour.

Woods won the first three WGC Invitational tournaments at the course, the second with a record 72-hole score of 21-under-par, eleven shots clear of Justin Leonard and Phillip Price, a record which still stands today.

In fact, such was Woods’ dominance, seven of his eight wins came in the first eleven tournaments played!

Woods last tasted success at Firestone back in 2013, winning seven shots clear of Keegan Bradley and Henrik Stenson.

Tiger Woods tournament recap: 2013 Bridgestone Invitational

However, the last time Woods played back in 2014, he was forced to walk off after three rounds, which signaled the beginning of the recurring back problems he suffered over recent years.

Fingers crossed, these career threatening problems seem to be behind the 14-time Major Champion and despite playing in 13 tournaments since his return, he has failed to add to his 79 PGA Tour wins.

That said, he came close at Valspar, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the Quicken Loans National and then briefly led in the final round of the Open Championship before finishing tied 6th, the sort of form that suggests Woods is by no means far off a tournament win.

Take into account form on course, (Woods having eight wins), recent form and the possibility of a fitting farewell win for the most successful golfer at this venue, then perhaps it is worth going with your heart on this one and backing Woods at 11/1 to get back to winning ways.

Woods’ return to the game has gripped fans around the world, and you can bet that victory here would be one of the most well received and most satisfying of all his professional wins.

If the stars are going to align for Woods, then he will need to keep the likes of former winners Dustin Johnson 2016 and Rory McIlroy 2014 at bay, not to mention Justin Rose, runner-up to woods in 2007, Jordan Spieth and the inform Francesco Molinari.

The Italian in particular is on a stellar run, winning the Open Championship, the Quicken Loans, the BMW Championship and registering second place finishes at the Italian Open and John Deere Classic!


Dustin Johnson starts as 11/2 favourite, understandably so after his win in Canada last weekend, McIlroy comes in at 11/1 alongside Woods, while Molinari is at 19/1 if you think his purple patch will continue.

Have to go with Woods in this one, and not just because of his past wins at Firestone, his resurgent form and the fitting farewell to the course if he does do the business, but because the golfing world wants to see him win again, me included.

Neill Simpson 31st July 2018
golf Tiger Woods