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Though they may not be as highly regarded as majors, World Golf Championship events often bring out fields that are just as good. And that’s again the case for this week’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, where 47 of the World Top 50 (no Byeong Hun An, while Justin Rose and Adam Hadwin are out due to injury) are set to take on the South Course at Firestone Country Club in Akron.
Television coverage for the tournament will be split between the Golf Channel (Thursday-Sunday) and CBS (Saturday-Sunday). If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can watch a live stream of all the action on your computer, phone or streaming device by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu also offers a bundle of live TV channels, including both Golf Channel and CBS (live in select markets). You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch coverage of the tournament on either channel live on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Hulu app.
Additionally, if you can’t watch live, “Hulu with Live TV” also comes with 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
Golf Channel and CBS (live in most markets) are both included in the “Fubo Premier” channel package, which is largely tailored towards sports fans. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial, and you can then watch coverage of the tournament on either channel on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the FuboTV app.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV comes with 30 hours of Cloud DVR (with the ability to upgrade to 500 hours), as well as a “72-Hour Lookback” feature, which allows you to watch the broadcast of every round up to three days after they air even if you forgot to record them.
If you just want to watch the CBS broadcasts, this is your best option. If you have Amazon Prime or want to start a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime, you can watch a live stream of your local CBS channel via the CBS All-Access Amazon Channel, which comes with a 7-day free trial.
Once you’re signed up for both Amazon Prime and the CBS channel, you can watch CBS live on your computer via the Amazon website, or on your phone, tablet or other streaming device via the Amazon Video app.
PGA Tour Live
You can also watch early Thursday and Friday action (featured groups and featured holes) via PGA Tour Live, which costs $5.99 per month or $39.99 per year. After signing up, you can then watch on your computer via PGATourLive.com, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the PGA Tour Live app.
Preview
After finishing tied for sixth at the Open Championship a couple weeks ago, Tiger Woods jumped to 50th in the world–his highest ranking since 2014. Now, playing his best golf in years, he enters a tournament he has absolutely dominated in the past, not only winning a ridiculous eight times since its inception in 1999, but also winning four of those by at least four strokes. He most recently conquered Firestone in 2013 with a seven-stroke victory over Keegan Bradley and Henrik Stenson, which also happens to be his last win anywhere on Tour.
Strong form plus course history has Tiger near the top of the odds list at 12-to-1. That’s the same odds as 2014 Bridgestone winner Rory McIlroy. Only World No. 1 Dustin Johnson, who also won here in 2016, has shorter odds at 7-to-1.
The defending champion is Hideki Matsuyama, who tied a course-record 61 on Sunday last year to defeat Zach Johnson by five strokes in what was the largest non-Tiger margin of victory at this tournament. In the midst of a disappointing season, he’s hoping a trip to Firestone can help get him back on track.
“Last year, a lot of good memories, especially that last round,” Matsuyama said. “For me, it was a perfect round of golf and happy to be back and looking forward to defending.”
Another storyline this week in Ohio: What can Francesco Molinari do for an encore? After a missed cut at the Players, here are the 35-year-old Italian’s last six finishes: first, second, 25th, first, second and first, with the last earning him his first major victory at the Open Championship.
He is on a ridiculous heater right now, rising from 33rd to sixth in the world during that stretch, and it’ll be interesting to see if he can keep it up at a tournament in which he has just one Top-20 and zero Top-10’s in seven career starts.
And, of course, you’ve got all the other usual top contenders: Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas, Jason Day, Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood, Brooks Koepka and so forth. It’s going to be a fun week.