The BWD Tournament Hole of the Week: August 6 – 9, 2015. The 18th at Firestone Country Club (South), Home of WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.
Published:
Tournament: WGC-Bridgestone Invitational – Firestone CC (South), Akron, OH
No. 18 – Par 4, 464 Yards
Architect: Bert Way – 1928, Robert Trent Jones (redesign) – 1960
Architectural Summary:
Playing slightly downhill, the 18th hole presents a tight tee shot down a tree-lined fairway on the par 4 measuring 464 yards. A narrow landing area will deter most competitors from taking driver, instead opting for a 3-wood to a long iron in order to find the fairway, which moves from right to left. Players will look to hit a slight draw, aiming towards the two fairway bunkers off to the right of the fairway, located 250-285 yards out. In order to achieve the best angle of approach into the green, the left side of the fairway will need to be avoided as staying to the right will help competitors to circumvent the sizeable tree fronting the left side of the green. Players will be left with a short iron for their second shot into the expansive and uniquely shaped green, which is surrounded by four bunkers and features a ridge towards the front of the putting surface. The Sunday back-left pin position will substantially increase the hole difficulty, as well as emphasize competitor’s positioning off the tee. Overall, finding the right side of the fairway and avoiding the trees lining the finishing hole will be integral in order to set up any chance at birdie on this tight finish of Firestone Country Club’s South Course.
Statistical Analysis
Over the past six WGC-Bridgestone Invitational events, the 18th hole has played to an average of 4.1267.
The finishing hole played much less difficult in 2014, averaging +0.05 over par with just three more scores over par than under. The prior year only 32 birdies were recorded on the hole as the scoring average escaladed to 4.19.
Fun Facts
On his way to winning the 2000 NEC Invitational, Tiger Woods solidified his 11-shot victory with an awe-inspiring shot that became known as “The Shot in the Dark.” In near darkness, Woods selected an 8-iron for his approach shot from 168 yards away, which settled 2 feet from the pin setting up his birdie on the 72 hole.
Firestone Country Club (South) is the only golf course to have ever held three televised golf events in one calendar year – The American Golf Classic, The CBS Golf Classic, and The World Series of Golf.
Commissioned as a park for employees of Harvey Firestone’s rubber and tire business in 1929, the South Course was the first of the three courses at Firestone to be built.
