Brandt Wins Canada; Firestone Hosts an Elite Group

I spent my weekend relaxing in the Northwoods meaning my attention was not completely on the RBC Canadian Open, The players in Canada did not disappoint in a surprisingly loaded field. Hunter Mahan got off to a hot start and held the 36-hole lead but withdrew for reasons beyond his control, somewhat. Mahan’s wife went into labor with their firstborn and he did what most anyone would do, and left the tournament to be by her side. People in the media have been overstating his departure and saying he gave up a tournament that was his to lose; I disagree. Hunter still had two rounds to get through and he would have had the incredible, consistent play of Brandt Snedeker to compete with.

I tracked and listened to a majority of the final round, which was mostly highlighted by Mr. Snedeker doing what he had to do to bring home his second victory of the 2013 season. Interestingly enough, with three holes to play on Sunday, Dustin Johnson found himself with a one shot lead. This did not last for long though, as he went on to triple bogey his next hole. Johnson continues to show that he does not have what it takes to pull through in the clutch, even in these ‘small’ tournaments. I am starting to doubt he will ever bust through for a major title.

This week’s main PGA event is not a major, but it might as well be. Besides The Players Championship, the World Golf Championships have provided some of the finest fields to accompany their outstanding tournaments. The Bridgestone Invitational will be the final WGC event on the calendar for the year, and it looks to provide just as much excitement as the first two. Earlier in the year, we saw Matt Kuchar take the WGC Match Play in Arizona and Tiger Woods win the Cadillac Championship at Blue Monster. Firestone CC in Akron, OH will play host again this year as Keegan Bradley looks to defend his 2012 title and try to notch his first victory on tour this season.

With this tournament coming on the eve of the year’s final major, I feel it is important to look back to pre-major tournaments this year to see who could rise to the top this week. In my mind, there are four tournaments worth looking at here; Valero Texas Open (Pre-Masters), St. Jude Classic (Pre-U.S. Open), John Deere Classic (Pre-Open Championship), and The Scottish Open (Pre-Open Championship).

Phil Mickelson has been no stranger to the top of these leaderboards. As we all know, this is Mickelson's first tournament back since his impressive victory in The Open Championship. Phil has no trouble getting it rolling pre-major. He won the Scottish Open, which is a non-PGA Tour event, and he took second to Harris English at the rainy St. Jude Classic. I have given up on predicting winners every week, but I am pretty confident Phil will be right up there.

Billy Horschel is another guy that just refuses to be anywhere but in contention. Billy already notched one victory this year and is coming off a rough showing in Scotland. Horschel finished in the top five at Valero and placed top 10 at St. Jude. He has been incredibly consistent most of the 2013 campaign and I am believe he can get back on track at Firestone.

Although he is not a big name, I would keep an eye on Martin Laird to be in contention. He won the Valero going into the Masters and stuck right with Phil to finish fifth in the Scottish Open before The Open. He may need the help of a birdie ridden round but that is never out of the question with how talented Laird is with the putter.

There will be a small, yet electric field playing this weekend, all looking to get some momentum going into Oak Hill. Tiger Woods remains the only multi-time champion here, with seven victories overall. Although he didn’t win in 2012, everyone will be chasing him, as always when Tiger is playing in a tournament.

-Bryan Reynolds