Bridgestone Invitational

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0-3; -10.30pts  (system plays: 10-9-1) 

Round 1 play (2pts):

Steve Stricker to beat Rory McIlroy +100 @ Paddy Power [also available @ SkyBet, Bet365 and Carib]  TIED
Looking for Stricker to have a good week. Twice a winner on Tour this year, has yet to miss a cut in 2010, ranks 1st in the 'Scoring Average Before Cut' category, and so on, plus he is well-rested after a taking a two-week break since the British Open. It has allowed him to completely focus on this event, in which he finished 6th last year, and next week's PGA Championship. That will be more difficult for McIlroy who was playing (poorly) in the Irish Open last week and didn't arrive here until Tuesday evening - he left only Wednesday free to practise on the course, which surely isn't enough given that he finished 68th of 79 last year.

[unofficial rd1 system plays: Cink tb Choi +105 (L); Johnson Z tb Cink +105 (W); Clark tb Kaymer +101 (W); Leonard tb Day +110 (W); Perry tb Johnson +130 (W); Poulter tb Kaymer +120 (T); Crane tb Overton +110 (L)]

Round 2 play (4pts):

Chad Campbell to beat Gregory Bourdy -155 @ 5Dimes [available generally]  LOST by 1
Backing Campbell to continue on from his first round 67 and he has been in better form of late, averaging 68.7 per round over the last six weeks, so should continue the run of top-15 finishes that he has achieved in this event over the last two years. From Bourdy's interviews, this sounds as though this has been a bit of a vacation as he plays in his first event in the U.S. and although he has been in good form - his last missed cut was in January - he has never really been in contention in any event this year: his highest position in any round has been 6th and the closest he has been to the leader has been three shots. He currently lies 11th and four shots off the lead and I can't really see him getting any closer to the lead.

[unofficial rd2 system plays: Stricker tb McIlroy -111 (L); Harrington tb McDowell -107 (W); Curtis tb McGowan -163 (L); Garcia tb Haas -120 (L); Donald tb Rose +105 (W); Stricker tb Els -133 (L)]

Round 3 play (2pts):

Ross Fisher to beat Rory McIlroy +110 @ Paddy Power  LOST by 5

[unofficial rd3 system plays: Weekley tb Slocum -105 (L); O'Hair tb McIlroy +138 (W); Noren tb Curtis +123 (W); Scott tb Van Pelt +104 (L); Casey tb McIlroy +100 (L)]

Round 4 play (2pts):

Nick Watney to beat Dustin Johnson -105 @ Pinnacle and Bet365 [also available @ 5Dimes, The Greek and WSEX]  LOST by 1
Two players with very different records in Sunday play: Johnson has shot the lower final round score just once this year and that was in the season-opening SBS Championship seven months ago. But this should be of little surprise as he ranks 168th in final scoring average on the PGA Tour. But given that they are both in the top-10, a more focused stat may be more appropriate. Watney has started the final round in top-10 on the PGA Tour on 18 occasions and remained in the top-10 at the end of the day in 15 of those occasions; Johnson has started the final round in the top-10 four times in the last six months and in the final rounds he has shot 74-77-82-74.

[unofficial rd4 system plays: Mahan tb Els +100 (W); Goosen tb Kaymer +104 (W)]