Bovada<\/a><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\nThat makes two deep sleepers that I have hit on in the last four months – Matt Every paid me off at 80\/1 at the Arnold Palmer in late March.<\/p>\n
Let’s see if we can do it all again this week.<\/p>\n
The PGA pros are back in the USA this week to play the 2014 Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club – a venue that Tiger Woods has dominated the past decade and a half winning there an astounding eight times including last year.<\/p>\n
Firestone will play 7400 yards and is a par 70 with just two par 5s – length and overall ball striking is essential here for success. Accuracy is also a major benefit – hitting fairways and greens will be typically tough. You will have to score on the par 4s this week – and a hot flat stick won’t hurt either.<\/p>\n
So who should we keep our eyes on this week? Let’s break it down.<\/p>\n
The Favorites:<\/h3>\n
Rory McIlroy 6\/1<\/strong><\/p>\nRory looks poised to go on a run doesn\u2019t he? He tees it up for the first time since winning the Claret Jug and has two wins in his last six starts overall. His Driver was stellar at Royal Liverpool \u2013 if he hits as well as he did two weeks ago there is no reason to think he won\u2019t dominate. He has three top 10s in 5 trips to Firestone and is scary this week.<\/p>\n
Adam Scott 12\/1<\/strong><\/p>\nSuddenly has Rory on his heels in the World Golf Rankings but a look at his recent run suggests that he is still the rightful owner of the #1 spot. He win at Colonial and has followed that with a T4 (Memorial); T9 (U.S. Open); T5 (The Open) \u2013 impressive. Scott won this tournament in 2011 and should be motivated for a good performance this week.<\/p>\n
Tiger Woods 12\/1<\/strong><\/p>\nKeep in mind all of these stats came when Tiger was healthy \u2013 he is the eight time winner here \u2013 most were dominant including a seven shot victory last year. His career earnings at Firestone? $11 million! He has to be mentioned but I\u2019m not expecting a whole lot this week.<\/p>\n
The Contenders:<\/h3>\n
Justin Rose 16\/1<\/strong><\/p>\nIs another guy knocking on the door of the #1 spot in the world. He won two straight – at Congressional and Royal Aberdeen before a T23 at THE OPEN. He has three top fives in this event and should play well on a track similar to Congressional.<\/p>\n
Jim Furyk 20\/1<\/strong><\/p>\nJim just can\u2019t seem to close one out \u2013 a second place finish last week in the Canadian Open was the latest final round \u201ccollapse\u201d \u2013 he now has three runner ups in his last seven starts. Something has to give! He has nine top 10s in this event in his last 14 tries \u2013 his tremendous consistency has Furyk looking like a nice 20\/1 shot.<\/p>\n
Rickie Fowler 20\/1<\/strong><\/p>\nPretty hard not to love how Fowler has progressed. His last two starts are T2s and both came in majors to go along with a T8 at Royal Aberdeen and a T13 in Memphis. Fowler looks like the next breakout star on TOUR \u2013 he\u2019s due and on a track that he finished T2 on in 2011, this could be Ricky\u2019s Week.<\/p>\n
Henrik Stenson 22\/1<\/strong><\/p>\nFinished T2 here last year during his huge streak and has been coming on of late – four top 10s in recent weeks, including a T4 at the U.S. Open. He\u2019s an elite ball striker and is 5th in Total Driving – all could help his this week.<\/p>\n
Jordan Spieth 25\/1<\/strong><\/p>\nHas cooled off a tad after five straight top 20s but has proven that no course at no time is intimidating to him. Spieth plays for the first time at Firestone looking to right the ship.<\/p>\n
Keegan Bradley 25\/1<\/strong><\/p>\nHas played this track very well \u2013 a win in 2012 and a second place finish last year and has been coming on of late after a brutal beginning to the 2014 campaign. He was T19 last time out at The Open and before that finished T4 at Greenbrier. Bradley sits 12th in Total Driving and 24th in Par 4 Scoring Average \u2013 perfect attributes for Firestone.
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\nSergio Garcia 25\/1<\/strong><\/p>\nHas not played well here at all \u2013 he hasn\u2019t been inside the top 20 here since 2007 despite having all the attributes that should fit Sergio\u2019s game. He is coming off consecutive second place finishes including The Open but his history here has me scared off.<\/p>\n
Martin Kaymer 28\/1<\/strong><\/p>\nHas shown up huge in the big events on American soil lately but only has two top 10s on the season \u2013 they happen to be the THE PLAYERS and the U.S. Open. He has just one top 10 here but I\u2019ve counted him out before and looked ridiculous doing so.<\/p>\n
Matt Kuchar 28\/1<\/strong><\/p>\nLooked better in finishing T4 in Canada after five straight starts without a top 10. He has two top 10s here and has 10 top 10s on the season already. Kuch is solid tee to green making him a weekly contender.<\/p>\n
Graeme McDowell 40\/1<\/strong><\/p>\nFailed to crack the top 10 in his first seven tries here but has figures something out the last couple of seasons \u2013 a seventh (2012) and a T4 (2013) in two starts here. He has been very good in the leadup to this week – a win in Paris and T9s the last two weeks. He looks like good value at 40\/1 for sure.<\/p>\n
The Sleepers (50\/1 or higher):<\/h3>\n
Steve Stricker 50\/1<\/strong><\/p>\nHas gone T6-T9-14-T2-13 in his last five appearances here and was last seen finishing T11 at the John Deere. Stricker doesn\u2019t play all that often but when he does he is competitive. At 50\/1 he is by far the best value on the board right now.<\/p>\n
Angel Cabrera 55\/1<\/strong><\/p>\nSome more very good value! He has finished T4 in three of the last eight visits here and has finished inside the top 25 in his last four starts overall, including a win at Greenbrier. He is playing as well as ever at the moment \u2013 if his driver is on, Angel is an instant contender again.<\/p>\n
Graham DeLaet 66\/1<\/strong><\/p>\nStellar ball striker is coming off a T7 in his country\u2019s Open last week. He is one of those guys that is overdue for a win \u2013 it just may not come against this stellar field.<\/p>\n
The Pick:<\/h3>\n
I\u2019m going to roll the dice with Rickie Fowler at 20\/1.<\/strong> Call it a hunch but the kid is due. He has been terrific and definitely isn\u2019t scared of the best fields golf has to offer.<\/p>\nMy sleeper this week is a steal \u2013 Steve Stricker at 50\/1<\/strong>. He has gone T6-T9-14-T2-13 in his last five starts in this tournament and is too good to be undervalued.<\/p>\n