Keegan Bradley wins WGC-Bridgestone Invitational

Keegan Bradley of the USA fired a superb final round of 64 to win the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club in Ohio by a single shot from his countrymen Jim Furyk and Steve Stricker.

Keegan Bradley wins WGC-Bridgestone Invitational (Getty Images)
Fergus Bisset
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published

Keegan Bradley of the USA fired a superb final round of 64 to win the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club in Ohio by a single shot from his countrymen Jim Furyk and Steve Stricker.

Bradley stood on the final tee a shot behind Furyk who had led the tournament all week following a first round of 63. It looked as though Furyk would do enough to close out the event after Bradley found a plugged lie in the greenside bunker on the 72nd hole. But Furyk also failed to get onto the 18th green in regulation and was left with a difficult pitch from the rough to the right side of the putting surface.

Furyk didn't reach the green with his pitch before Bradley blasted out, leaving himself a 20-foot putt for par. Furyk then pitched on with his fourth shot, ending some five feet from the cup.

Bradley steadied himself and holed his putt. That meant Furyk had to hole his bogey effort to force a playoff. He stood over the ball, backed off then re-made his stance before pushing the putt past the right edge. The title was Bradley's and Furyk did well to hole the return putt and secure a tie for second with Steve Stricker.

It was Bradley's third PGA Tour victory and his first since claiming the 2011 USPGA Championship 51 weeks ago. Louis Oosthuizen had a good week to finish alone in fourth, two behind Bradley. British stars Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose shared a tie for fifth.

WGC - Bridgestone Invitational Firestone Country Club, Akron, Ohio Aug 2-5, purse $8,500,000, par 70

1   Keegan Bradley (USA)   67   69   67   64   267   T2   Steve Stricker (USA)   68   68   68   64   268   T2   Jim Furyk (USA)      63   66   70   69   268   4   Louis Oosthuizen (RSA)   67   65   68   69   269   T5   Justin Rose (Eng)      70   69   66   67   272   T5   Rory McIlroy (NIR)   70   67   67   68   272    7   Jason Dufner (USA)   67   66   73   68   274   T8   Aaron Baddeley (Aus)   73   66   71   66   276   T8   Tiger Woods (USA)   70   72   68   66   276   T8   Matt Kuchar (USA)   70   70   70   66   276     T8   K.J. Choi (Kor)      71   72   67   66   276   T8   David Toms (USA)   68   67   73   68   276   T8   Lee Slattery (Eng)   65   71   72   68   276   T8   Luke Donald (Eng)   66   69   71   70   276   T8   Bo Van Pelt (USA)   70   70   69   66   71   276  

Note: Player score in bold signifies Titleist ball usage

Fergus Bisset
Fergus Bisset
Contributing Editor

Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He has also worked with Golf Monthly to produce a podcast series. Called 18 Majors: The Golf History Show it offers new and in-depth perspectives on some of the most important moments in golf's long history. You can find all the details about it here.

He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. He went on to earn a post graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism. Fergus has worked for Golf Monthly since 2004 and has written two books on the game; "Great Golf Debates" together with Jezz Ellwood of Golf Monthly and the history section of "The Ultimate Golf Book" together with Neil Tappin , also of Golf Monthly.

Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?

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