Five things we learned from the Bridgestone Invitational
Let's be honest, we're all incredibly busy. Nobody has time to sit down and watch four rounds of golf coverage -- unless, of course, you watch TV for a living, and if that's the case, please email us your number. So in an effort to condense the tournament coverage for you into a few quick hits, here are five things we learned from the Bridgestone Invitational.
Winning from behind is the way to go — Want to win on the PGA Tour? Make sure you're at least four shots back of the lead going into the final round. For the 11th time this year (this year!), the winner came four shots off the lead on Sunday to win. Keegan Bradley, who was four behind Furyk, managed to fire a salty 64 to pick up his third victory in the last two years. What exactly does that mean for the rest of the season? It means you should probably stay away from the title of "54-hole leader." After what happened at the British Open and on Sunday at the Bridgestone, that stat is probably worth keeping in mind for the PGA Championship.
Anchored putter wins again — If you listened closely following the final round, you could hear the R&A and USGA squirming in their respective chairs after Keegan Bradley rolled in a 15-footer to win the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. Sure, it wasn't a major, but at this point, the powers that be could care less. The only thing that matters is that an anchored putter won again on the PGA Tour. Heck, even Luke Donald, one of the best putters in the game, was asking Bradley for a spare after his win. He was kidding, of course, but you get the point. Chalk another another win up for the controversial club.
Ryder Cup points take center stage — It seems fitting that the PGA Championship is returning to Kiawah Island's Ocean Course (site of the "War on the Shore") during a Ryder Cup year. For a number of American golfers in the field, the next week will turn into a battle for the final spots on this year's Ryder Cup team. Bradley's win knocked Hunter Mahan, who already has two wins this year, from an automatic spot to to 9th in the most recent standings; while Phil Mickelson's struggles at Firestone now have him sitting eighth. American Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III has four captain's picks, so a number of big names should make the team. But with so many bunched up near the bottom, there's a good chance a few high-profile names will get left at home.
Rory McIlroy finds a little something at Firestone — McIlroy was asked on Saturday following a third-round 67 when the last time was he felt this good. His answer? "Not for a while, probably going into Quail Hollow." That was back in May. In other words, it had been awhile. Even though he didn't exactly set the world on fire this week at Firestone, McIlroy put together four solid rounds of golf, finishing inside the top-5 for the first time since the Wells Fargo Championship. He also finished 2nd in the field in driving distance and greens in regulation, two stats that could come in handy at Kiawah.
Matt Kuchar's short game was off the charts — Hitting only eight greens in regulation on Sunday would lead you to believe Kuchar had an off day at the office. His playing partner, Tiger Woods, hit 15 greens in regulation -- and yet they ended up with the same score: 4-under 66.
If you're wondering how that's even possible, take a look at Kuchar's short game stats from the final round: 20 putts, 3 chip-ins.
"You know, playing with Kuch today was a joke," Woods said. "Twenty putts on the today is not too bad, three chip‑ins. It was amazing. I never saw the guy all day, and we had the same score. Good stuff."
Woods is right, 20 putts in one round is a joke.
