WGC Invitational
Tournament information
Established1999
Organized byInternational Federation of PGA Tours
Tour(s)PGA Tour
European Tour
FormatStroke play
Prize fundUS$10,500,000 (final year)
Month playedAugust
Final year2021
Tournament record score
Aggregate259 Tiger Woods (2000)
To par−21 as above
Final champion
Mexico Abraham Ancer

The WGC Invitational was a professional golf tournament that was held in the United States. Established in 1999 as a successor to the World Series of Golf, it was one of three or four annual World Golf Championships (WGC) until 2021, when the number of WGC events was reduced to two.

Under sponsorship agreements, the WGC Invitational was titled as the WGC-NEC Invitational (1999–2005) and the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational (2006–2018). During this time, it was hosted at Firestone Country Club in Ohio, except for 2002 when it was hosted at Sahalee Country Club in Washington. With a change of sponsor in 2019, the tournament became titled as the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational and was relocated to at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee.

The WGC Invitational was sanctioned and organized by the International Federation of PGA Tours and the prize money was official money on both the PGA Tour and the European Tour. Tiger Woods had the record number of wins with eight.[1][2] The winner received a Wedgwood trophy called The Gary Player Cup.[3]

Sponsorship

From 1999 through 2005, the WGC Invitational was sponsored by NEC. NEC had also sponsored the World Series of Golf from 1984 to 1998. The tournament changed sponsorship in 2006, with Bridgestone taking over as title sponsor. As a part of the sponsorship agreement, the event continued to be held at the South Course of Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. In August 2013, the Bridgestone sponsorship was extended through 2018.[4]

The 2018 event was the last held in Akron. In 2019, FedEx became the title sponsor and relocated the tournament to Memphis, Tennessee.[5][6]

Venues

Prior to 2019 the event was hosted at the South Course of Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, with one exception – the 2002 event, which was played at Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Washington. Between 2019 and 2021, the tournament was held at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee.

Qualifying criteria

The event had a field of about 75 players, roughly half the number for a standard professional golf event. Invitations were issued to the following:

From 1999 to 2001, only the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup teams were eligible and the field was about 40 players. Prior to 2011, both Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup teams were eligible.

World Series of Golf

From 1976 through 1998, the PGA Tour event at Firestone Country Club was the "World Series of Golf," and was sponsored by NEC beginning in 1984. It was founded as a four-man invitational event in 1962, comprising the winners of the four major championships in a 36-hole event.[7] the competitors played in one group for $75,000 in unofficial prize money, televised by NBC.

In 1976, it became a 72-hole, $300,000 PGA Tour event and its field was initially expanded to twenty;[8] the victory and $100,000 winner's share went to Nicklaus.[9] The largest first prize at a major in 1976 was $45,000 at the PGA Championship.

The World Series of Golf quickly became a leading event on the tour. For many years a victory in it gave a 10-year exemption on the PGA Tour, the same as was granted for a victory in a major championship at that time, and twice as long as is given even for winning a major now. The field consisted of the winners of all the high status men's professional golf tournaments around the world in the previous twelve months. This was quite different from the criteria for the WGC Invitational listed above, but produced much the same sort of global field.

Winners

YearTour(s)[lower-alpha 1]WinnerScoreTo parMargin of
victory
Runner(s)-upPurse ($)Winner's
share ($)
Venue
WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational
2021EUR, PGATMexico Abraham Ancer264−16PlayoffUnited States Sam Burns
Japan Hideki Matsuyama
10,500,0001,820,000Southwind, Tennessee
2020EUR, PGATUnited States Justin Thomas (2)267−133 strokesUnited States Daniel Berger
United States Brooks Koepka
England Tom Lewis
United States Phil Mickelson
10,500,0001,785,000Southwind, Tennessee
2019EUR, PGATUnited States Brooks Koepka264−163 strokesUnited States Webb Simpson10,250,0001,745,000Southwind, Tennessee
WGC-Bridgestone Invitational
2018EUR, PGATUnited States Justin Thomas265−154 strokesUnited States Kyle Stanley10,000,0001,700,000Firestone, Ohio
2017EUR, PGATJapan Hideki Matsuyama264−165 strokesUnited States Zach Johnson9,750,0001,660,000Firestone, Ohio
2016PGAT[lower-alpha 2]United States Dustin Johnson274−61 strokeUnited States Scott Piercy9,500,0001,620,000Firestone, Ohio
2015EUR, PGATRepublic of Ireland Shane Lowry269−112 strokesUnited States Bubba Watson9,250,0001,570,000Firestone, Ohio
2014EUR, PGATNorthern Ireland Rory McIlroy265−152 strokesSpain Sergio García9,000,0001,500,000Firestone, Ohio
2013EUR, PGATUnited States Tiger Woods (8)265−157 strokesUnited States Keegan Bradley
Sweden Henrik Stenson
8,750,0001,500,000Firestone, Ohio
2012EUR, PGATUnited States Keegan Bradley267−131 strokeUnited States Jim Furyk
United States Steve Stricker
8,500,0001,400,000Firestone, Ohio
2011EUR, PGATAustralia Adam Scott263−174 strokesEngland Luke Donald
United States Rickie Fowler
8,500,0001,400,000Firestone, Ohio
2010EUR, PGATUnited States Hunter Mahan268−122 strokesUnited States Ryan Palmer8,500,0001,400,000Firestone, Ohio
2009EUR, PGATUnited States Tiger Woods (7)268−124 strokesAustralia Robert Allenby
Republic of Ireland Pádraig Harrington
8,500,0001,400,000Firestone, Ohio
2008EUR, PGATFiji Vijay Singh270−101 strokeAustralia Stuart Appleby
England Lee Westwood
8,000,0001,350,000Firestone, Ohio
2007EUR, PGATUnited States Tiger Woods (6)272−88 strokesEngland Justin Rose
South Africa Rory Sabbatini
8,000,0001,350,000Firestone, Ohio
2006EUR, PGATUnited States Tiger Woods (5)270−10PlayoffUnited States Stewart Cink7,500,0001,300,000Firestone, Ohio
WGC-NEC Invitational
2005EUR, PGATUnited States Tiger Woods (4)274−61 strokeUnited States Chris DiMarco7,500,0001,300,000Firestone, Ohio
2004EUR, PGATUnited States Stewart Cink269−114 strokesSouth Africa Rory Sabbatini
United States Tiger Woods
7,000,0001,200,000Firestone, Ohio
2003EUR, PGATNorthern Ireland Darren Clarke268−124 strokesUnited States Jonathan Kaye6,000,0001,050,000Firestone, Ohio
2002EUR, PGATAustralia Craig Parry268−164 strokesAustralia Robert Allenby
United States Fred Funk
5,500,0001,000,000Sahalee, Washington
2001EUR, PGATUnited States Tiger Woods (3)268−12PlayoffUnited States Jim Furyk5,000,0001,000,000Firestone, Ohio
2000EUR, PGATUnited States Tiger Woods (2)259−2111 strokesUnited States Justin Leonard
Wales Phillip Price
5,000,0001,000,000Firestone, Ohio
1999EUR, PGATUnited States Tiger Woods270−101 strokeUnited States Phil Mickelson5,000,0001,000,000Firestone, Ohio

Notes

  1. EUR − European Tour; PGAT − PGA Tour.
  2. The 2016 event was only sanctioned by the PGA Tour. It was not sanctioned by the European Tour due to a schedule change for the Olympic Games.

References

  1. "Tournament History". European Tour. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  2. "PGA Tour Media Guide". PGA Tour. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  3. Heath, Elliott (August 7, 2017). "The Best Trophies In Golf". Golf Monthly. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  4. Ridenour, Marla (August 4, 2013). "PGA Tour, Bridgestone extend contract to keep tournament at Firestone C.C. through 2018". Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  5. Wright, Branson (April 12, 2018). "WGC-Bridgestone Invitational will leave Firestone in 2019". cleveland.com.
  6. "2019 Dates Announced". PGA Tour. July 9, 2018.
  7. "World Series of Golf back for final time". The Augusta Chronicle. AP. August 27, 1998. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  8. "Now golf has a real World Series". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. August 29, 1976. p. 7B.
  9. "Nicklaus silences his doubters". Palm Beach Post. wire services. September 6, 1976. p. D1.
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