After landing two of the top three at last week's Canadian Open, we're back with our picks for Firestone...
Back to win
Rory McIlroy – {ODDS:175239712:12/1}
McIlroy is certainly worth backing in an event he has won in the past, despite his split from long-time caddy JP Fitzgerald this week.
The Northern Irishman triumphed by two shots over Sergio Garcia when he last played at Firestone in 2014, closing with back-to-back rounds of 66 over the weekend to take the title.
Considering that win came on the back of victory at the Open, McIlroy’s T4 finish at Royal Birkdale this year bodes well for his chances.
It’s unclear whether swapping Fitzgerald for Harry Diamond – his best friend – will be good for McIlroy’s game or not in the short term.
The 28-year-old loves these limited-field events, though, as he showed last year when winning the Deutsche Bank and Tour Championship to lift the FedEx Cup.
Currently ranked second in driving distance on the PGA Tour, he has the game to dominate this long course off the tee once again and has to be backed at our enhanced price.
Each-way shouts
Justin Rose – {ODDS:174786925:25/1}
Tree-lined Firestone rewards players who hit it straight and long off the tee, and Rose – currently ranked seventh in shots gained with the driver – does just that.
It’s no surprise that he has played well at this course in the past, with four top-five finishes, including three in the past five years.
The Englishman hasn’t won since the Olympics in Rio, but he has picked up five top-fives since.
With a T12 at the Players Championship and a T4 at the Irish Open inside his last four starts, he’s playing well enough to challenge this week.
The WGC Invitational has always been dominated by big names, and Shane Lowry and Craig Parry are the only non-major winners to have triumphed since its conception in 1999.
That means Rose – the 2013 US Open champion who also won the WGC Championship in 2012 – fits the bill.
Tommy Fleetwood – {ODDS:174786967:40/1}
Arguably the most consistent player in Europe this season, Fleetwood looks poised to challenge for the biggest win of his career to date.
The 26-year-old already has wins at the HSBC Championship and Open de France under his belt, and has also picked up impressive top-five finishes at the WGC Mexico and US Open.
The big, competitive events clearly don’t faze the world No. 15, who managed a top-30 finish at his home Open at Royal Birkdale a fortnight ago despite a shocking opening round of 77.
No player has ever won this event on their course debut, but, considering Fleetwood’s performances this season, he is definitely worth an each-way bet at this price.
Outside bets
Zach Johnson – {ODDS:174786986:50/1}
Johnson has plenty going for him at Firestone this weekend.
The 41-year-old is a former major winner, one of the most accurate players off the tee on the PGA Tour, and has had some fine results at this course in the past with a top five and five top-15s in the past 10 years.
He’s also come into some form recently, having finished fifth at the John Deere Classic and 14th at the Open in his last two starts.
At this big price, he’s good value for his first win since the 2015 Open.
Bubba Watson – {ODDS:174787000:66/1}
Few players are as well-suited to this course as Watson.
The American ranks sixth in shots gained off the tee this season and second in driving distance (all drives).
Watson has never missed the cut in his seven appearances at Firestone and has played his best golf there in the past two years, finishing second in 2015 and 14th last year.
WGC Invitational champions have usually fared well at Augusta in the past, so the two-time Masters champion has to be considered an interesting outside shout.
