Event of the Day: Opening day of WGC Bridgestone Invitational
Our event of the day is the opening day of the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. The field features the cream of the crop as only the top 50 golfers in the world are invited to compete in the annual event. The tournament has been held at Firestone since 1999. However, sponsor rights have been transferred to FedEx next year and the tournament will move to Memphis. Past winners at Bridgestone include Darren Clarke, Vijay Singh, current number one Dustin Johnson and eight time champion Tiger Woods. Tiger will be hungry for another victory, currently ranked 50th in the world, his last win on the PGA Tour came in 2013 at this very tournament. He will be paired with world number 9 Jason Day for the first two rounds.
Other notable pairings include Rory McIlroy and defending champion Hideki Matsuyama; Ian Poulter and Zach Johnson; and Justin Thomas and Phil Mickelson. 2016 winner Dustin Johnson is coming off an impressive win at last week’s RBC Canadian Open. He has been paired with Open Champion, Francesco Molinari. The four day tournament has a purse of $10 million dollars (US) with the overall winner going home with $1.7 million. With this year being the last time the Invitational will take place at Firestone, much of the focus over the next four days will be on the course. Looked at fondly by the players and fans, it will surely get a memorable send off this weekend.
Honourable mentions around the globe go to the quarter-finals of the Women’s Hockey World Cup at Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre in London. The first game will see Ireland play India at 6:00pm. These two teams met during the group stage with the Irish coming out on top 1-0. Host nation England will face off against the Netherlands at 8:15pm in a tasty rematch of the 2016 Olympic final. Elsewhere in golf, play opens up at the Women’s British Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club in Lancashire, England. Glasgow and Berlin are set to host the inaugural multi-sport European Championships as it kicks off today with rowing and track cycling. In Major League Baseball, the San Diego Padres open up a four game series with the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The New York Yankees travel to Boston to take on the Red Sox at Fenway Park. It is Day two of the first Test match between England and India at Edgbaston in Birmingham. In the Natwest T20 Blast, Nottinghamshire face Derbyshire at Trent Bridge and Sussex play Kent at the St. Lawrence Ground in Canterbury. National Rugby League takes place at ANZ Stadium in Sydney between the Bulldogs and Broncos.
Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!
Fixture
Photos by PGA Tour