Philadelphia, PA (My Sportsbook) - WORLD GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS - WGC-BRIDGESTONE INVITATIONAL, Firestone Country Club, Akron, Ohio - In Tiger Woods' absence, Vijay Singh won the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational last year with a two-under 68 in the final round.
Singh secured his 32nd victory to become the winningest foreign-born player in PGA Tour history. The Fijian later picked up wins 33 and 34 at The Barclays and the Deutsche Bank Championship and claimed the FedEx Cup for the first time.
Woods missed the Bridgestone Invitational last year as he recovered from knee surgery, but the six-time champion will return this season and he's coming off a big victory at the Buick Open.
Making the first of three consecutive starts -- a rarity for Woods -- the world No. 1 claimed his third victory at Warwick Hills after posting a 69 in the final round Sunday to beat a trio players by three shots.
Woods has twice won three consecutive Bridgestone Invitationals: from 1999-2001 and 2005-07. The three years in between those runs -- when Craig Parry, Darren Clarke and Stewart Cink picked up victories -- Woods tied for second place once, behind Cink in '04.
This year's tournament, with a prize purse that has increased to $8.5 million, is the final tune-up before the fourth major of the season, the PGA Championship at Hazeltine National.
The Bridgestone Invitational marks the third of four lucrative WGC events on the schedule. Geoff Ogilvy won the Accenture Match Play Championship in March and Phil Mickelson claimed the CA Championship two weeks later. The HSBC Champions, a new addition to the series, will be held in China in November.
Golf Channel will broadcast the first two rounds and CBS will have the weekend. Coverage on both networks begins at 2 p.m. (et) each day.
Padraig Harrington will be the defending champion at next week's PGA Championship.
PGA TOUR
RENO-TAHOE OPEN, Montreux Golf and Country Club, Reno, Nevada - Last year, Parker McLachlin stumbled to a two-over 74 on Sunday, but still walked away with a seven-shot win at the Reno-Tahoe Open.
McLachlin, bolstered by a 62 in the second round, completed his first tour win at 18-under-par 270, well in front of John Rollins and Brian Davis.
The Reno-Tahoe Open will again be played opposite the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.
A watered-down field missing the top stars on tour provides a good opportunity for the second-tier players -- like McLachlin, who will defend his title -- to pick up good finishes ahead of the approaching FedEx Cup playoffs.
Including McLachlin, five other past champions will be in the field at Montreux: Steve Flesch, Will MacKenzie, Kirk Triplett, Chris Riley and two- time winner Vaughn Taylor.
Golf Channel will have coverage of all four rounds beginning at 6:30 p.m. (et) each day.
NATIONWIDE TOUR
PREFERRED HEALTH SYSTEMS WICHITA OPEN, Crestview Country Club, Wichita, Kansas - Scott Piercy set a tournament scoring record while winning last year's Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open.
Despite only closing with an even-par 71 in the final round, Piercy captured his first tour win at 22-under-par 262 to better the old mark of 263 that Ben Crane posted in 2000.
Piercy, who has moved on to the PGA Tour, was bolstered by rounds of 64, 62 and 65 in the first three rounds. He will not be in the field at Crestview Country Club to defend his title.
With two PGA Tour events on the docket this week, there is no television coverage for the Nationwide Tour.
Next week is the Price Cutter Charity Championship, where Colt Knost won last year.
CANADIAN TOUR
ROXUL JANE ROGERS CHAMPIONSHIP, Greystone Golf Club, Milton, Ontario - Alex Coe shot a two-under 68 in the final round last year to earn his first Canadian Tour victory at the Jane Rogers Championship.
Coe, a tour rookie, finished at 15-under 265 and won by three shots over Graham DeLaet, who had won the week before.
This year's tournament will be held at Greystone Golf Club after two years at Lakeview Golf Club in nearby Mississauga.
After a week off, the Canadian Tour will return for the Desjardins Montreal Open on Aug. 20, where DeLaet won last year.
