2012 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational Results: Keegan Bradley Edges Jim Furyk On 18th Hole To Win Tournament

On a day where intermittent storms forced players off the course, it was Keegan Bradley who outlasted 54-hole leader Jim Furyk to take the 2012 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in exciting fashion.

Bradley carded a 6-under score of 64 on Sunday while playing in a final group that included Furyk and South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen, and nailed a tricky putt on the 18th and final hole to apply a great deal of pressure on his playing partner.

After each hitting a pair of impressive drives on No. 18, Furyk and Bradley, who were 14 and 13-under respectively through 17 holes, each missed the green right and faced uncertain lies. Needing to make a seven-foot putt to tie Bradley at 13-under after previously having his chip shot get caught up in the rough, Furyk hit an extremely poor putt well past the hole to effectively give away the tournament.

The reigning PGA Championship winner, Bradley will now enter next week's event in South Carolina with as much momentum as possible, as it's clear he's playing some of the most inspired golf of his brief career.

Stay right here with this StoryStream for more coverage of the Bridgestone Invititational, and be sure to check out SB Nation's golf hub for more analysis of the tournament.

2012 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational: Jim Furyk Up Three Strokes With Nine Holes Left

With a 2-under through the first ten holes, Jim Furyk has extended his lead to four shots over Louis Oosthuizen. Furyk now sits at 13-under for the tournament.

While Furyk has extended his lead over Oosthuizen, the rest of the field is catching up. Keegan Bradley is 3-under through 10 holes and now sits three strokes back of first place.

Tiger Woods is tied for the best round of the day, 4-under, but he still sits nine strokes back of Furyk in first. He has finished 16 holes in his final round on Sunday.

A win for Furyk would be his first of 2012. He has four top-10 finishes this season, including a fourth place finish at the U.S. Open.

Be sure to stay with this StoryStream for more coverage from Firestone Country Club. Also head over to SB Nation's dedicated golf hub for more news and analysis throughout the tournament.

2012 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational: Play Resumes After Delay

A two-hour-and-28 minute weather delay halted play in the final round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, but the final round has finally resumed and all golfers are on the course in Akron.

The round started well for the tournament's top two golfers, Jim Furyk and Louis Oosthuizen. Both birdied the first two holes to start their final round. Furyk, at 13-under, holds a one-stroke lead over Oosthuizen after two holes.

Tiger Woods is 3-under through eight holes, but he is still 10 strokes back of the lead, in 11th place.

Should Furyk or Oosthuizen falter, there is a three-way tie for third place at 7-under. Those golfers are Justin Rose, Rory McIlory and Keegan Bradley.

Last year's champion at the event was Adam Scott.

Be sure to stay with this StoryStream for more coverage from Firestone Country Club. Also head over to SB Nation's dedicated golf hub for more news and analysis throughout the tournament.

2012 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational: TV Schedule, Tee Times, Pairings For Sunday's Final Round

Despite being one of the only men in contention not to shoot under par on Saturday, 54-hole leader Jim Furyk will still take a one-stroke advantage into Sunday's final round at Firestone Country Club in the 2012 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

Furyk carded an even-par round of 70 on Saturday to keep his grip on a lead that he has yet to relinquish thus far in the tournament, but is now only one shot ahead of challenger Louis Oosthuizen, who posted a 68 to reach 10-under par. And due to poor weather projections for the Akron area on Sunday, the two men will be joined by Keegan Bradley (7-under) in the Sunday's final group as tournament officials elected to push up all tee times.

While all eyes will be fixated on whether Furyk and Oosthuizen can both hold on for an epic finish down the stretch, the action in the second-to-last group could prove to be just as exciting if one of the leaders slips up. Rory McIlroy and Steve Stricker, both at 6-under, will be paired by long-drive artist Bo Van Pelt (5-under) in a three-man group that has all of the star-power but none of the pressure afforded to the final grouping of the day.

Here are the groupings for the fourth and final round:

Tee No. 1
10:00 a.m. - Jim Furyk, Louis Oosthuizen, Keegan Bradley
9:50 a.m. - Rory McIlroy, Steve Stricker, Bo Van Pelt
9:40 a.m. - Justin Rose, John Senden, Luke Donald
9:30 a.m. - Jason Dufner, Graeme McDowell, Simon Dyson
9:20 a.m. - Branden Grace, Martin Laird, Bill Haas
9:10 a.m. - Carl Pettersson, Lee Slattery, K.T. Kim
9:00 a.m. - David Toms, Rafael Cabrera Bello
8:50 a.m. - Scott Piercy, Geoff Ogilvy, K.J. Choi
8:40 a.m. - Tiger Woods, Kyle Stanley, Matt Kuchar
8:30 a.m. - Sergio Garcia, Aaron Baddeley, Dustin Johnson
8:20 a.m. - Brandt Snedeker, Bubba Watson, Nick Watney
8:10 a.m. - Ian Poulter, Marc Leishman, Adam Scott
8:00 a.m. - Martin Kaymer, Retief Goosen, Johnson Wagner

Tee No. 10
9:50 a.m. - Robert Allenby, Oliver Bekker, Tom Lewis
9:40 a.m. - Lee Westwood, Robert Rock, Michael Hoey
9:30 a.m. - Ted Potter Jr., Kevin Na, Joost Luiten
9:20 a.m. - Yoshinori Fujimoto, Rickie Fowler, Danny Willett
9:10 a.m. - Toshinori, Muto, Frederik Jacobson, Jeev Milkha Singh
9:00 a.m. - Jamie Donaldson, Marcel Siem, Greg Chalmers
8:50 a.m. - Thomas Bjorn, Charl Schwartzel, Mark Wilson
8:40 a.m. - Peter Hanson, Bernd Wiesberger, Nicolas Colsaerts
8:30 a.m. - Hunter Mahan, Jonathan Byrd, Jason Day
8:20 a.m. - Paul Lawrie, Y. E. Yang, Sang-Moon Bae
8:10 a.m. - Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Gonzalo Fdez-Castano
8:00 a.m. - Franceso Molinari, Ryo Ishikawa, Alvaro Quiros

Be sure to stay with this StoryStream for more coverage from Firestone Country Club. Also head over to SB Nation's dedicated golf hub for more news and analysis throughout the tournament.

2012 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational: Jim Furyk Maintains Lead At End Of Round Three

Round three of the 2012 Bridgestone Invitational is in the books, with the action set to wrap up on Sunday. Jim Furyk held his spot in the lead at 11-under, but he did falter a bit on the day, going even on the day as the players beneath him started to catch up. Louis Oosthuizen was 2-under on the day, good for 10-under overall and second place, so he'll be looking to make a run in round four.

Cleveland-area native Jason Dufner finds himself tied for ninth place with two others at the end of round three. He had a poor day overall, shooting 73 in round three, at 3-over. Still, he's 4-under for the tournament and could be doing worse. He's tied with Luke Donald for ninth. Keegan Bradley, Rory McIlroy and Steve Stricker round out the top five. Bo Van Pelt, Justin Rose, and John Senden are the other players above Dufner.

Tiger Woods, who has a strong history at the Bridgestone Invitational, is struggling. These struggles are right in line with his struggles in recent years, as he was hoping to a return to form this time out. Still, he did have a better round three than he did previously, and moved to even for the tournament and is in 24th place. He was 2-under in round three.

For complete coverage of the 2012 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, stay with this StoryStream. For all your golf news in the run up to the season's final major, visit SB Nation's golf hub.

Bridgestone Invitational 2012: Tiger Woods Improves, Phil Mickelson Struggles

As the leaders teed off at the 2012 Bridgestone Invitational, Tiger Woods wrapped up a day that saw him making improvements, but little progress.

Woods shot a 2-under 68 on the day, putting him at par for the tournament. He's currently in a tie for 30th, moving up 14 spots from the start of the day. An important part of his improved play was the birdie he hit on No. 16; he had bogeyed the long par-5 in his first two rounds of the tournament.

The biggest improvement on the day came from Branden Grace, who shot a 4-under 66 to jump 29 spots into a tie for 15th. Grace started out incredibly hot, hitting birdies on five of the first nine holes.

Phil Mickelson continued to struggle, shooting 3-over through 15 holes to move into a tie for 42nd. 2011 champion Adam Scott remained in the middle of the pack, shooting a 1-over 71 and moving to 2-over on the tournament. Jim Furyk remains in the lead at 11-under.

For a live leaderboard, visit Golf.com.

For news and updates throughout the week at Firestone, stay with this StoryStream. For all your golf news as the season's final major approaches, visit SB Nation's golf hub.

WGC-Bridgestone Invitational Leaderboard: Tiger Woods Failing To Make A Saturday move

For the third day in a row, Tiger Woods has stalled out at Firestone's South Course. Woods is once again sputtering on the greens and failing to make any putts and move up the leaderboard. He is 1-under for the day and 1-over for the week, still 12 shots back of leader Jim Furyk who still has to start his third round. Woods picked up a birdie on the difficult par-4 fourth hole and then added another red number at No. 11. He gave that shot back two holes later on No. 13.

It's been another frustrating week in Akron for Woods. His last two appearances here were full of drama off the course -- injuries, instructor upheaval, and caddie changes. This week he entered in much better form with a chance to overtake Luke Donald as the No. 1 player in the world. But it's been a ho-hum week for Woods while plenty of the game's top names post low numbers. His playing partner, Branden Grace, is firing the low round of the day and is 5-under through 14 holes. The young South African superstar played with Woods the first two days and was decidedly average as well, but he's making his move on Saturday.

For a live leaderboard, visit Golf.com.

For complete coverage of the 2012 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, stay with this StoryStream. For all your golf news in the run up to the season's final major, visit SB Nation's golf hub.

2012 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational: TV Schedule, Tee Times, Parings For Saturday

Jim Furyk shot a 66 at the 2012 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational on Friday. That score put him the lead after two rounds of play, two strokes ahead of Rafael Cabrera Bello who ended the day at 9-under. Four strokes separate Furyk and Jason Dufner in fourth place, setting up another exciting round of play on Saturday.

Play resumes at 7 a.m. Eastern for the third round on Saturday. Furyk and Cabrera Bello are paired together, teeing off last at 2 p.m. Dufner is paired with Louis Oosthuizen, scheduled to tee off at 1:50 p.m. Tiger Woods, who shot a disappointing 72 on Friday, tees off at 10:20 a.m. with Branden Grace.

The complete list of pairings and tee times for round three on Saturday is below.

2:00 p.m.: Jim Furyk, Rafael Cabrera Bello
1:50 p.m.: Lousi Oosthuizen, Jason Dufner
1:40 p.m.: K.T. Kim, David Toms
1:30 p.m.: Luke Donald, Lee Slattery
1:20 p.m.: John Senden, Steve Stricker
1:10 p.m.: Keegan Bradley, Simon Dyson
1:00 p.m.: Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson
12:50 p.m.: Geoff Ogilvy, Graema McDowell
12:40 p.m.: Carl Pettersson, Sang-Moon Bae
12:30 p.m.: Bill Haas, Scott Piercy
12:20 p.m.: Nick Watney, Aaron Baddeley
12:10 p.m.: Retief Goosen, Bubba Watson
12:00 p.m.: Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia
11:50 a.m.: Bo Van Pelt, Martin Laird
11:40 a.m.: Y.E. Yang, Martin Kaymer
11:30 a.m.: Paul Lawrie, Matt Kuchar
11:20 a.m.: Phil Mickelson, Lee Westwood
11:10 a.m.: Nicolas Colsaerts, Thomas Bjorn
11:00 a.m.: Alvaro Quiros, Brandt Snedeker
10:50 a.m.: Jamie Donaldson, Brand Wiesberger
10:40 a.m.: Adam Scott, Zach Johnson
10:30 a.m.: Ben Crane, Kyle Stanley
10:20 a.m.: Tiger Woods, Branden Grace
10:10 a.m.: Marc Leishman, Joost Luiten
10:00 a.m.: Ian Poulter, Ryo Ishikawa
9:50 a.m.: Mark Wilson, K.J. Choi
9:40 a.m.: Francesco Molinari, Fredrik Jacobson
9:30 a.m.: Gonzalo Fdez-Castano, Toshinori Muto
9:20 a.m.: Peter Hanson, Ted Potter, Jr.
9:10 a.m.: Charl Schwartzel, Jason Day
9:00 a.m.: Johnson Wagner, Danny Willett
8:50 a.m.: Hunter Mahan, Jonathan Byrd
8:40 a.m.: Greg Chalmers, Ernie Els
8:30 a.m.: Marcel Siem, Yoshinori Fujimoto
8:20 a.m.: Jeev Milkha Singh, Robert Rock
8:10 a.m.: Kevin Na, Oliver Bekker
8:00 a.m.: Toru Taniguchi, Rickie Fowler
7:50 a.m.: Robert Allenby, Michael Hoey
7:45 a.m.: Tom Lewis

Stay with this StoryStream for more Bridgestone coverage, and be sure to check out SB Nation's golf hub for more analysis throughout the tournament.

2012 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational: Jim Furyk Leads By 2 Strokes After 36 Holes

Day two of the 2012 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational offered an eerily similar set of circumstances on Friday, as tour veteran Jim Furyk expanded on his lead with an impressive round of 66 to reach 11-under par for the tournament.

Now with a two-stroke lead through 36 holes, Furyk has played nothing short of masterful golf with his long irons at the extremely lengthy South Course, and has been equally as impressive on the greens with only 51 total putts thus far. Unable to take advantage of the seemingly manageable conditions at the other end of the spectrum, seven-time Bridgestone champ Tiger Woods carded a disappointing 72 to fall a whopping 13 strokes off the pace heading into the weekend.

The story of round two, aside from Furyk of course, may have been the massive drives hit by a bevy of players throughout Firestone's wide open layout. With a majority of the field averaging well over 325 yards per drive, it was Aaron Baddeley's 442-yard tee shot on the par-5 16th hole that stole the show and left fans in complete and utter disbelief. Although Baddeley would inexplicably make bogey on the hole, he finished with a 4-under 66 on Friday to vault himself back into contention.

Stay with this StoryStream for more Bridgestone coverage, and be sure to check out SB Nation's golf hub for more analysis throughout the tournament.

Bridgestone Invitational 2012: Tiger Woods Struggles With Putter, Jim Furyk Leads By 2 Shots

Tiger Woods has wrapped up his second round at Firestone's South Course and the world's No. 2-ranked player had another rough go around the venerable Akron track. While most of the field is putting up red numbers and making a charge at double-digit under par scores, Woods finds himself 2-over and 13 shots backs of leader Jim Furyk.

While analysts and golf fans love to fixate on Tiger's swing and his ability to get off the tee, it's always been his work with the flatstick that has led to the inconsistency over the past three years. Woods has been able to put it together at times this summer, but the consistency is not what it was when he dominated the Tour. He struggled again with his putter on Friday, carding a bogey on No. 7 with what analyst Peter Oosterhuis called "maybe the worst three-putt of his career."

Woods said he figured something out with his putter on No. 8 -- unfortunately, that was the 17th hole of his afternoon. After an ugly 1-over 36 in the morning nine, Tiger came in with three bogeys and two birdies for a matching 36 on the massive par-70 7400-yard layout. There's no cut in the WGC event so he'll stick around for the weekend, but he has to get his putter in form if he wants to have any chance of thinking about contention for his 8th win in Akron.

On the other end of the spectrum is Jim Furyk, who's red-hot with the putter and has drained 119 feet of putts so far. He's not only draining birdies but he's also saved a couple huge pars over the past two days, following up his opening 63 with a 66 on Friday morning. He's at 11-under and two shots clear of Spaniard Rafael Cabrera Bello.

The afternoon groups are just starting their rounds and there's plenty of talent with the ability to make a run at Furyk and post a number in the low 60's. Keegan Bradley, Jason Dufner, Bubba Watson, and Luke Donald are all under par and can make a charge up the board.

For a live leaderboard, visit Golf.com.

For complete coverage of the 2012 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, stay with thisStoryStream. For all your golf news in the run up to the season's final major, visit SB Nation's golf hub.

WGC-Bridgestone Invitational Leaderboard: Tiger Woods Stalling, Jim Furyk Going Low Again

Starting the day seven shots back of leader Jim Furyk, and with plenty of red numbers in between, Tiger Woods needs to make some noise and put together a rally on Friday to head into the weekend with some momentum. So far, he's failed to do that in his second round, actually dropping a shot to move to 1-over at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

Woods played the back side in 1-over yesterday, dropping three shots over the final six holes to fall back to even-par. He went off on No. 10 today and once again stalled out -- starting his round with a bogey after going wild off the tee into a fairway bunker. He failed to pick up a birdie at the monster par-5 16th, a hole he's feasted on in the past. Playing that par-5 1-over in the first two days will have Woods muttering to himself.

While Woods sputtered, leader Jim Furyk extended his lead. Furyk went out in 33 to move to 9-under, two shots clear of the field. The veteran with a funky swing carded three birdies on the front side to keep the momentum going after his blistering 63 on Thursday. In addition to Furky, Dustin Johnson posted a number on his first nine by firing a 32 on the back side. The 7400-yard layout typically favors the bomb-and-gougers and Johnson is among the best in the game at that. He took advantage of the 16th and picked up one of his three birdies there.

Of course with no cut in the limited-field WGC, Woods will not have to worry about missing the weekend. But at 1-over and 10 shots back of Furyk, he'll need to post some red numbers coming in. The par-5 second hole is the perfect place to start, and he'll need to get a birdie (or better) there if he wants to make something of his second nine.

For a live leaderboard, visit Golf.com.

For complete coverage of the 2012 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, stay with this StoryStream. For all your golf news in the run up to the season's final major, visit SB Nation's golf hub.

2012 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational: TV Schedule, Tee Times, Parings For Friday

The first round of the Bridgestone Invitiational is in the books, with Jim Furyk in the early lead going into Friday's second day of the tournament. Furyk will be taking on Jason Day in the first morning wave off Tee No. 1.

Tiger Woods, currently wallowing in a tie for 31st place going into the second round, will be waiting until the end of the morning wave to get his first tee, playing against Branden Grace at 10 a.m. off Tee No. 10.

Golf Channel will provide the broadcast coverage on Friday at 2 p.m. ET and run until 6 p.m. ET. The pre-game show will come on at 1:30 p.m. ET and undoubtedly show Woods as he finishes up his second nine.

Morning Wave off Tee No. 1:

Morning wave off Tee No. 10:

Afternoon wave off Tee No. 1:

Afternoon wave off Tee No. 10:

For more WGC-Bridgestone Invitational coverage, be sure to stay right here with this StoryStream. Head over to SB Nation's golf hub for more news and analysis throughout the tournament.

2012 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational: Jim Furyk's Opening Round 63 Highlights Day 1 From Firestone Country Club

Birdies were a common theme on Thursday at the opening round of the 2012 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio, although no man was able to match the impressive 7-under par score of 63 put forth by 18-hole leader Jim Furyk.

Furyk kicked off his afternoon in a big way with an eagle at No. 2 and a birdie at No. 4, and aside from a pair of bogeys in the middle of his round, was nearly flawless en route to carding another six birdies over the Firestone Country Club South Course's final 11 holes . Furyk currently leads his closest competitor, Lee Slattery (5-under), by a mere two strokes heading into Friday's round two, while a number of top names are peppered throughout the leaderboard at 4-under par including both Bubba Watson and Luke Donald.

Tiger Woods, the man who has dominated the South Course with ease in his illustrious career, skidded down his back nine stretch to card a rather disappointing even par round of 70 to fall seven strokes back. Woods' late round hiccup forced him into a tie for 31st place with nine other players, although plenty of time remains for the sport's current No. 2 ranked player to make a surge up the leaderboard.

For more WGC-Bridgestone Invitational coverage, be sure to stay right here with this StoryStream. Head over to SB Nation's golf hub for more news and analysis throughout the tournament.

2012 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational: Jim Furyk Takes Lead At 7-Under Par With Tiger Woods 6 Strokes Back

The 2012 WGC-Bridgestone Invitiational is off to a raucous start from Akron, Ohio in round one, as 25 golfers have already entered the clubhouse with scores under par for the day.

Seven-time champion Tiger Woods entered his Thursday round as the obvious favorite to roll through the South Course once again, but could only muster a 1-under part score of 34 through nine holes. After making the turn however, Woods proceeded to birdie both the 10th and 11th holes. Disappointing bogeys at both the 13th and 16th holes dropped Woods back to 1-under for the tournament, as he currently stands six shots off the pace.

Current leader Jim Furyk, who roared out to a 7-under score through 17 holes with five birdies on the back nine, holds a two-stroke lead on a field that includes a number of top 10 golfers. Furyk eagled the par-5 third hole two get his afternoon started on the right foot, and has been brilliant on Thursday aside from a pair of bogeys.

For more WGC-Bridgestone Invitational coverage, be sure to stay locked with this StoryStream. Head over to SB Nation's dedicated golf hub for more news and analysis throughout the tournament.

2012 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational Leaderboard: Bubba Watson, Luke Donald Tied For Early Lead

The final groups are now out on the course at Firestone as the first round of the 2012 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational progresses. The morning wave of tee times featured plenty of low numbers, and as you'd expect at a WGC event, there are lots of big names at the top of the leaderboard. Bubba Watson, Luke Donald, and Ben Crane hold the clubhouse lead after firing matching 66's to move to 4-under.

Watson had a bit of a rollercoaster round but took advantage of his length off the tee on a South course playing at 7400 yards. No. 16 is one of the longest par-5's on Tour with water protecting the front-right of the green, but Watson cruised through the monster with a birdie. It was the first of three straight as he made the turn on the back side. The long-hitting lefty then picked up an eagle on the par-5 second hole before coming in with two straight birdies to move to 4-under. Only three bogeys prevented a potential super-low round (akin to Adam Scott's opening 62 last year) in which he carded six birdies or better.

Luke Donald was right there with Watson, putting up seven red numbers in his opening round. The No. 1 player in the world began his day with three straight birdies and was threatening to shoot 30 on his inward nine before he stalled out on his final three holes. If Tiger Woods captures his eighth career win at Firestone, and Donald finishes outside the top-three, the Englishman will relinquish the top spot in the OWGR.

Most of the morning wave finished in the red, and there are currently ten players just one shot off the pace. North Olmsted native Jason Dufner and Spaniard Sergio Garcia are two of those golfers in the large group at 3-under.

Phil Mickelson, who's searching for his game as he enters the week and prepares for the links at Kiawah, shot a pedestrian 1-over 71. Mickelson's round went south during a tough two-hole stretch that included a double bogey at No. 3 and a bogey at the difficult par-4 fourth hole.

For a live leaderboard, visit Golf.com.

For complete coverage of the 2012 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, stay with thisStoryStream. For all your golf news in the run up to the season's final major, visit SB Nation's golf hub.

Bridgestone Invitational 2012: Bubba Watson 1 Shot Back, Phil Mickelson Under Par

The first round morning wave of tee times at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational is progressing through the back side, and as you would expect, a number of the world's top names are on the first page of the leaderboard. Carl Pettersson, the winner at Harbour Town this spring, leads at 4-under through 16 holes at Firestone's South Course. Pettersson went off the back side and picked up three birdies in his first seven holes, including a four on the monster par-5 16th.

There's a host of former major winners one shot back at 3-under, including Americans Bubba Watson and Keegan Bradley. Watson's game continues to round into form after his lengthy break after the win at Augusta. Golf was not a priority when he made an appearance at The Memorial in May, but he's improved as the summer wore on with good showings at Hartford and at Lytham. Watson, the bomb-and-gouger, is taking advantage of the par-5s at Firestone. He carded a birdie at No. 16 (one of three straight as he made the turn) and then picked up an eagle on the par-5 second hole.

Phil Mickelson is 1-under through 11 holes, tied with Cleveland-area native Jason Dufner. Englishmen Luke Donald and Lee Westwood are also draining birdies during their opening round. Westwood has moved to 3-under after a red number at No. 2 and Donald is 2-under after starting his round with three straight birdies.

Adam Scott, the defending champion who opened his week last year with a blistering 62, is even-par through his first 13 holes on Thursday. Scott is making his first appearance since his four-straight-bogey collapse at Lytham.

For a live leaderboard, visit Golf.com.

For complete coverage of the 2012 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, stay with thisStoryStream. For all your golf news in the run up to the season's final major, visit SB Nation's golf hub.

2012 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational: TV Schedule, Tee Times, Parings For Thursday

The 2012 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational gets underway in Akron on Thursday morning with a star-studded field from around the world. The classic American parklands course is playing at 7400 yards and Firestone will being a two-week stretch where all the best players in the world are in attendance. In the morning wave, Ernie Els will make his first appearance since his Open win at Lytham. He will be paired with 2012 Masters champ Bubba Watson, going off No. 1 at 9:30 a.m. ET. Phil Mickelson will be playing with world No. 1 Luke Donald at 10 a.m. ET.

Golf Channel will provide an extra hour of coverage from Firestone South before the weekend. The broadcast will come on the air at 2 p.m. ET and run until 6 p.m. ET. This limited-field event is loaded from start to finish, and the best strategy is often to post up at one hole and watch as each group comes through. But if you're into following Tiger Woods, he'll be going off in the afternoon on No. 1 at 1:50 p.m. ET. A complete schedule of tee times for Thursday:

Morning wave off No. 1:

Morning wave off No. 10:

Afternoon wave off No. 1:

Afternoon wave off No. 10:

For complete coverage of the 2012 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, stay with this StoryStream. For all your golf news in the run up to the season's final major, visit SB Nation's golf hub.

2012 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational 2012: Phil Mickelson Refocused On Golf

With the 2012 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational set to begin on Thursday, Phil Mickelson will look to put a couple of rough months behind him and find his stride at the tournament.

After a stretch of uninspired play, Mickelson stated that lethargy and a lack of focus was the reason his game had been so poor. In interviews leading up to the WGC, Mickelson says that he is refocused on golf and expects to post improved scores this weekend in Akron.

Via SB Nation:

"This last week was a great week for me practice‑wise. I feel like my game has really made a turn," Mickelson told reporters gathered at Bethpage State Park ahead of next month's kick-off to the 2012 FedEx Cup playoff season, The Barclays.

Speaking by phone, Mickelson conceded he would have to wait to "post a number" at Firestone Country Club before pronouncing his game fit, but he sounded confident that it was on an upswing.

"The proof in golf is always in the score," Mickelson said, "but I feel much, much better about my game than I did just a week ago at the British Open."

Mickelson has missed the cut at his last two PGA Tour starts.

For more 2012 Bridgestone coverage, make sure to stay with this StoryStream. Be sure to visit SB Nation's golf hub for more golf news throughout the tournament.

Previewing The 2012 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational At Firestone Country Club

The preparation for the fourth and final major of the season begins in a big way this week in Akron, Ohio, as golf's best players will converge on the South Course at Firestone Country Club for the 2012 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

The 7,400-yard, par-70 course, aptly named 'The Monster' by golfing legend Arnold Palmer back in his heyday, will present a number of difficult challenges for the field regardless of how weather conditions shake out during the week. In addition to the 667-yard par-5 16th hole that figures to test even the longest of hitters, all three of the South Course's par-3 holes each requires a long, precise shot from the tee in order to walk away with a birdie.

With a who's who of the sport's elite all in attendance and looking to make a big splash with a victory this weekend, it's clear that this year's event should once again go down as one of the most coveted non-major tournaments in golf. Seven-time champion Tiger Woods headlines a stacked field of competitors, as the former No. 1 hopes to re-tame the South Course after a pair of disappointing efforts the last two years.

Defending champion Adam Scott will also be looking for a bit of redemption himself after coughing away the 2012 British Open last month, while the usual batch of contenders of Phil Mickelson, Luke Donald and Bubba Watson should each be among the leaders through the weekend. Scott will definitely be a name to watch for early on especially, after the 32-year-old Aussie fired an improbable 62 on Thursday last year to take command of the tournament.

For more 2012 Bridgestone coverage, make sure to stay with this StoryStream. Be sure to visit SB Nation's golf hub for more golf news throughout the tournament.

WGC-Bridgestone Invitational 2012 Tee Times For Thursday

The world's best golfers come to Akron again for the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational this week. Aside from Webb Simpson, whose wife just gave birth, almost every headliner and top player will be on hand for one of their favorite stops on Tour. Firestone South is annually praised by the elite but limited field and this year should provide another great week of golf in advance of the PGA Championship at Kiawah next week.

The big draw, of course, will be the world's No. 2-ranked player Tiger Woods, who will go off in the second-to-last group on Thursday at 1:50 p.m. ET. Woods will be playing alongside South African Branden Grace, who rapidly ascended the world rankings to become WGC-eligible with three Euro Tour wins this season. Grace is another young promising South African but playing with Woods in Akron will certainly be an entirely new experience.

With the limited field format and no cut, the best strategy is often to post up at one hole and watch as each group comes through -- there's really a household name or superstar in almost every single pairing. As the Tour often does, Phil Mickelson will go out in the wave opposite Woods, teeing off in the second-to-last group in the morning session at 10 a.m. ET. It's a small field but certainly one of the best all season. The complete schedule of tee times for the 1st Round:

Morning wave off No. 1:

Morning wave off No. 10:

Afternoon wave off No. 1:

Afternoon wave off No. 10:

For complete coverage of the 2012 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, stay with this StoryStream. For all your golf news in the run up to the season's final major, visit SB Nation's golf hub.

Tiger Woods Goes For 8th Win In Loaded Field At Firestone

The best golfers in the world return to Akron for a tune-up in advance of the season's final major. Tiger Woods has historically dominated at Firestone but the last two years ended in bitter disappointment. With three wins this season, Woods enters as the favorite to capture his second win in Ohio this year.