WGC-BRIDGESTONE INVITATIONAL POWER RANKINGS
Place Your Bets on the WGC Bridgestone Invitational at Bovada
10. Thorbjorn Olesen
Over the past two months, one of the world’s hottest golfers has been the only Dane currently ranked in the world’s Top 100, Thorbjorn Olesen.
In his last six starts worldwide, the 28-year-old has a win at the Italian Open, a T2 at the BMW International Open, a T6 at the Irish Open, and a T12 in his last start at The Open Championship, where he was one fewer stroke on Sunday away from four straight 1-under 70s.
In addition to great recent form, Olesen placed T10 at last year’s WGC-Bridgestone after an impressive 67-65 weekend that was bettered by only Matsuyama.
Odds: 80-1
World Rank: 57
2017 Bridgestone: DNQ
Last Six: 12, 6, MC, 2, MC, 1
9. Rickie Fowler
Perhaps if Rickie, whose inclusion in the World Top 10 is the best evidence that the algorithm is broken, bombs his start at Firestone, like completely falls flat on his face, we will finally have a major championship week where we will not have to hear 5000 armchair analyst sermons about how it’s “his time”.
Unfortunately, Fowler has top 10s in each of his past four Bridgestone starts, so that probably is not going to happen.
Odds: 20-1
World Rank: 9
2017 Bridgestone: 9th
Last Six: 28, 6, 12, 20, 8, 14
8. Patrick Reed
The 2018 Masters Champion and U.S. Open contender Reed decided to stick around Europe for another week after a T28 at Carnoustie, but probably wishes he had just flown home.
His week at the Porsche European Open was lowlighted by a Sunday collapse that knocked him from third place to ninth, and an uncomfortable altercation with a camera crew on Thursday, which did not help his already suspect image.
Still, it was his eighth top-10 in his last 12 starts worldwide, and he has several strong results on his Firestone resume.
Odds: 20-1
World Rank: 9
2017 Bridgestone: 9th
Last Six: 28, 6, 12, 20, 8, 14
7. Hideki Matsuyama
Matsuyama’s last round at Firestone was only the single greatest round in World Golf Championships history: a sizzling shot-making clinic that resulted in an unconscious 9-under 61 and a Bridgestone Invitational title.
Hideki proved how great he can be at his best, but we have not seen enough of that in the past year, as the now 26-year-old has not won anywhere since that day, and has not been in serious contention anywhere since imploding on Sunday’s back nine at last year’s PGA Championship.
A minor wrist injury has played a role in his subpar 2018 season, but just as he seemed to be healthy again, he went on to miss back-to-back cuts at the Scottish Open and The Open Championship. We really do not know where his game is right now.
Odds: 40-1
World Rank: 16
2017 Bridgestone: 1st
Last Six: MC, MC, 16, 13, 16, MC
6. Xander Schauffele
The 24-year-old Schauffele has become a big-game hunter. In his past seven events, he has three missed cuts, but all three were in lesser-regarded tournaments, while his three of his four non-missed cuts were T2s at THE PLAYERS Championship and the Open Championship, along with a T6 at the U.S. Open.
That leaves the question, is the WGC-Bridgestone big enough for Xander? At Carnoustie, he showed what we already knew: that he can compete anywhere, and he deserves a ton of praise for the way he bounced back from a nightmare three-hole stretch late on Sunday’s front nine to become the last of Molinari’s victims to fall.
Odds: 45-1
World Rank: 18
2017 Bridgestone: T13
Last Six: 2, 21, MC, 6, MC, MC
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