Bridgestone Invitational day one recap
Day one at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational saw the mighty fall and a Firestone newcomer rise to greatness.
Bubba Watson took the lead Thursday after shooting a first round six under 64 on the South Course. He had a two shot lead going into the second round Friday.
Watson is making his Firestone debut this week and what a debut it is. He pulled off four straight birdies on the back nine and on his final hole made a long putt to finish six- under 64. Watson had a two shot lead over Americans Phil Mickelson and Kenny Perry, Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell and Adam Scott of Australia.
"I was impressed about Tiger Woods having seven wins here," Watson said about the Firestone South Course when he first arrived here."With Tiger's wedge game, and his putter is phenomenal, I can see where he could win."
The optimal word there is 'could', and based on Thursday’s round that is a very generous ‘could’.
Woods wasn’t off to a good start. He shot a four-over 74, his highest score to date on the Firestone course, after he made bogeys on the first two and easiest holes on the course. Woods has always done well at this course, winning the Bridgestone title seven times in a row but the defending champ didn’t have that spark in him Thursday.
If Woods wasn’t already feeling the pressure, and failure, one spectator didn’t help him to feel any better. While walking back after finishing his round, one of the people in the crowd yelled out to him, “You’re washed up, Tiger. Give it up.”
Woods didn't offer any excuses; he knew he didn’t play well, “Only thing I did good today is kept my patience out there.” Perhaps more daunting than finishing a good round is matching his own reputation on the course.
“Just because I like the golf course doesn't mean I'm going to play well on it," Woods said hotly. "You still have to execute, and I didn't do that. I did not execute the shots that I wanted to execute, didn't shape the ball the way I wanted to shape it, and certainly did not putt well."
McDowell earned four straight birdies and shot a 66 for the day. “It’s probably the best golf I’ve played since Pebble Beach,” U.S. Open winner McDowell said. McDowell did well with his putter; he holed birdies on the 15th and 16th and made a 15-foot putt at the 17th hole from the fringe and finished with a birdie from 10 feet.
Mickelson, also on 66, was working hard to keep up momentum; he tried for par near the end of his round and hit a flop shot that earned him a birdie on the sixth. He added two more birdies on the last two holes in the back nine.
If Mickelson finishes in fourth place or better he will outrank Woods in the world rankings, something he has been trying to do for some time now. Woods will have to finish out of the top 44 to maintain his position, which despite how poorly he played is likely. After all, it was only the first day.
Tags: