Spieth
tops Firestone billing, no Rory or Tiger
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[August 06, 2015]
By Mark Lamport-Stokes
AKRON, Ohio (Reuters) - Masters and U.S.
Open champion Jordan Spieth, the world number two, will command the
spotlight at this week's WGC-Bridgestone Invitational where Rory McIlroy
and Tiger Woods are both conspicuous absentees.
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Top-ranked McIlroy won last year's tournament at Firestone Country
Club by two shots but is unable to defend his title after rupturing
a ligament in his left ankle while playing soccer with friends early
last month.
Former world number one Woods has triumphed a record eight times at
Firestone but is not eligible to compete in the elite (WGC) World
Golf Championships event with his ranking having plummeted to a
mind-boggling 262nd.
"It's tough. Unfortunately, right now, he's going through a spell
where he's not playing that great," Australian world number four
Jason Day told reporters about Woods' absence ahead of Thursday's
opening round.
"It's kind of weird to not see him playing the events that we're
usually used to seeing him playing. This is one of those events that
he plays well and wins a lot here.
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"Eight times, it's just amazing to even think about. Some guys are
just hoping for one WGC win, let alone eight times at one venue."
Spieth would replace McIlroy at the top of the rankings should he
triumph at Firestone this week as he also tunes up his game for the
year's final major, the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits next
week.
"I think it's really good major prep, but at the same time, this is
a World Golf Championship," Spieth, 22, told reporters after
practising at Firestone on Wednesday.
"This is a huge event. This is one that everyone wants to have on
their resume, and there are certainly other goals that come out of
trying to win this week too for me personally," said Spieth, who has
not yet won a WGC title.
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"So ultimately, we're working really hard for this one to try and
grab the number one slot."
Forty-eight of the top 50 players in the rankings are competing at
Firestone this week, where McIlroy and world number 22 Chris Kirk
(broken hand) are the absentees, and they face a challenging layout
where the rough is up after recent rain.
"Brutal course, really long, but it looks like we're going to have
some good weather this week," said Ohio-based Day, who 10 days ago
won his fourth PGA Tour title at the Canadian Open.
"The greens and the fairways should dry out. The greens ... they
should be bouncing."
(Editing by Andrew Both)
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