The week heading into a major is usually time for Tiger Woods to hunker down in Orlando, Fla., and fine-tune his game. It’s a routine that’s worked well for the 14-time major champion.
But this week, Woods is diverting from the script, playing in one of his favorite events, the WGC Bridgestone Invitational, as he prepares for the PGA Championship, next week at Hazeltine.
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Woods has never played the week before the Masters, the U.S. Open or the British. But he has occasionally played the week before the PGA and it has been a sound strategy.
In 2007, after Woods won the Bridgestone, he followed up with a victory in the PGA at Southern Hills. In 2000, a week after finishing 11th in the Buick, Woods beat Bob May in a memorable playoff at Valhalla.
Woods insists it’s not a calculated decision, just a function of the schedule.
“I think that’s the way it’s kind of turned out with the World Golf Championships, the Majors and then the playoff events,Ó said Woods. “It’s a busy stretch to the end of the year.Ó
This is the first time Woods, a winner last week at the Buick, plays back-to-back weekends headed into a major.
It’s easy to understand why Woods makes time to play at Firestone. He’s won here six times, with a pair of three-year reigns (1999-01 and 2005-07), the last one halted when Woods was out recovering from knee surgery.
Woods last win at Bridgestone was memorable — a final-round 65 for an 8-stroke victory as he smoked leader Rory Sabbatini, who shot a final round 74 after proclaiming he had no fear of the Tiger.
