WGC-Bridgestone Invitational preview

The world's best players travel to Firestone Country Club in Ohio this week for the third World Golf Championship event of 2011. Adam Scott is defending champion and he'll be looking to bounce back from a disappointing finish at the Open Championship.

Adam Scott defends WGC-Bridgestone Invitational (Getty Images)

Lowdown: The world's best players travel to Firestone Country Club in Ohio this week for the third World Golf Championship event of 2011. Adam Scott is defending champion and he'll be looking to bounce back from a disappointing finish at the Open Championship.

At 7,400 yards with a par of only 70, Firestone will present a tough challenge to the top players who will be looking to hone their games with just one week to go before the year's final Major - The USPGA Championship at Kiawah Island.

The Bridgestone Invitational has been a tournament in which Tiger Woods has excelled in years gone by. The American won the inaugural event (then the NEC Invitational) back in 1999 and he defended his title in 2000 and again in 2001. He's won at Firestone four times since then and will start as favourite this week.

Last year, Adam Scott produced a superb back nine on Sunday to move clear of Luke Donald and Rickie Fowler. He fired in four birdies to come home in 31 and win by four shots. After bogeying his last four holes at Lytham to lose the Open Championship by a single shot to Ernie Els, the Australian will be hoping he can recover quickly with another victory at Firestone.

Unlike the UK, this part of the US has experienced an extremely dry summer. There's been a prolonged spell with hardly any rain and, as a result, the course is playing firm and fast. The greens may get above 13 on the stimpmeter.

Another effect of the drought-like conditions is that the, normally brutal, rough is thin and wispy. This could give an advantage to the long, yet wayward hitters.

An impressive field has assembled in Akron with US Open champion Webb Simpson the only notable absentee.

Venue: Firestone Country Club, Akron, Ohio Date: August 2-5 Course stats: par 70, 7,400 yards Purse: $8,500,000 Winner: $1,400,000 Defending Champion: Adam Scott (-17)

TV Coverage: Thursday 2 - Live on Sky Sports 1 from 7pm Friday 3 - Live on Sky Sports 1 from 7pm Saturday 4 - Live on Sky Sports 2 from 5pm Sunday 5 - Live on Sky Sports 2 from 5.30pm

Player Watch: Luke Donald - He was joint second in this event last year and the difficult, firm ground may mean that his scrambling skills will be to the fore. He's on good form again and snuck through the field at Lytham to finish the week tied fifth.

Tiger Woods - He's won seven times around this course and, in the early part of this century, the tournament was almost a gimmie for Woods. He came tied third in the Open and will be looking to use this event as a springboard for the following week at Kiawah.

Nick Watney - This selection is a bit out of leftfield given his form in 2012. But, he has a solid record at Firestone and has shown recent signs of getting his game back. He's a superb player when at his best and has a WGC title to his name already. He could be a good each-way bet.   Key hole: 16th. A 667 yard par 5, it's a true three shotter. A pond in front of the green means even the longest hitters can't get there in two.

Fergus Bisset
Contributing Editor

Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. He went on to earn a post graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism. Fergus has worked for Golf Monthly since 2004 and has written two books on the game; "Great Golf Debates" together with Jezz Ellwood of Golf Monthly and the history section of "The Ultimate Golf Book" together with Neil Tappin , also of Golf Monthly. 

Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?