WGC Invitational

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WGC Invitational
WGC St Jude Invitational logo.png
Tournament information
Established1999
Organized by International Federation of PGA Tours
Tour(s) PGA Tour
European Tour
Format Stroke play
Prize fund US$10,500,000 (final year)
Month playedAugust
Final year2021
Tournament record score
Aggregate259 Tiger Woods (2000)
To par−21 as above
Final champion
Flag of Mexico.svg 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.

Contents

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
2021 EUR, PGAT Flag of Mexico.svg Abraham Ancer 264−16Playoff Flag of the United States.svg Sam Burns
Flag of Japan.svg Hideki Matsuyama 		10,500,0001,820,000 Southwind, Tennessee
2020 EUR, PGAT Flag of the United States.svg Justin Thomas (2)267−133 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Daniel Berger
Flag of the United States.svg Brooks Koepka
Flag of England.svg Tom Lewis
Flag of the United States.svg Phil Mickelson 		10,500,0001,785,000 Southwind, Tennessee
2019 EUR, PGAT Flag of the United States.svg Brooks Koepka 264−163 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Webb Simpson 10,250,0001,745,000 Southwind, Tennessee
WGC-Bridgestone Invitational
2018 EUR, PGAT Flag of the United States.svg Justin Thomas 265−154 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Kyle Stanley 10,000,0001,700,000 Firestone, Ohio
2017 EUR, PGAT Flag of Japan.svg Hideki Matsuyama 264−165 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Zach Johnson 9,750,0001,660,000 Firestone, Ohio
2016 PGAT [lower-alpha 2] Flag of the United States.svg Dustin Johnson 274−61 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Scott Piercy 9,500,0001,620,000 Firestone, Ohio
2015 EUR, PGAT Flag of Ireland.svg Shane Lowry 269−112 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Bubba Watson 9,250,0001,570,000 Firestone, Ohio
2014 EUR, PGAT Ulster Banner.svg Rory McIlroy 265−152 strokes Flag of Spain.svg Sergio García 9,000,0001,500,000 Firestone, Ohio
2013 EUR, PGAT Flag of the United States.svg Tiger Woods (8)265−157 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Keegan Bradley
Flag of Sweden.svg Henrik Stenson 		8,750,0001,500,000 Firestone, Ohio
2012 EUR, PGAT Flag of the United States.svg Keegan Bradley 267−131 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Jim Furyk
Flag of the United States.svg Steve Stricker 		8,500,0001,400,000 Firestone, Ohio
2011 EUR, PGAT Flag of Australia (converted).svg Adam Scott 263−174 strokes Flag of England.svg Luke Donald
Flag of the United States.svg Rickie Fowler 		8,500,0001,400,000 Firestone, Ohio
2010 EUR, PGAT Flag of the United States.svg Hunter Mahan 268−122 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Ryan Palmer 8,500,0001,400,000 Firestone, Ohio
2009 EUR, PGAT Flag of the United States.svg Tiger Woods (7)268−124 strokes Flag of Australia (converted).svg Robert Allenby
Flag of Ireland.svg Pádraig Harrington 		8,500,0001,400,000 Firestone, Ohio
2008 EUR, PGAT Flag of Fiji.svg Vijay Singh 270−101 stroke Flag of Australia (converted).svg Stuart Appleby
Flag of England.svg Lee Westwood 		8,000,0001,350,000 Firestone, Ohio
2007 EUR, PGAT Flag of the United States.svg Tiger Woods (6)272−88 strokes Flag of England.svg Justin Rose
Flag of South Africa.svg Rory Sabbatini 		8,000,0001,350,000 Firestone, Ohio
2006 EUR, PGAT Flag of the United States.svg Tiger Woods (5)270−10Playoff Flag of the United States.svg Stewart Cink 7,500,0001,300,000 Firestone, Ohio
WGC-NEC Invitational
2005 EUR, PGAT Flag of the United States.svg Tiger Woods (4)274−61 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Chris DiMarco 7,500,0001,300,000 Firestone, Ohio
2004 EUR, PGAT Flag of the United States.svg Stewart Cink 269−114 strokes Flag of South Africa.svg Rory Sabbatini
Flag of the United States.svg Tiger Woods 		7,000,0001,200,000 Firestone, Ohio
2003 EUR, PGAT Ulster Banner.svg Darren Clarke 268−124 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Jonathan Kaye 6,000,0001,050,000 Firestone, Ohio
2002 EUR, PGAT Flag of Australia (converted).svg Craig Parry 268−164 strokes Flag of Australia (converted).svg Robert Allenby
Flag of the United States.svg Fred Funk 		5,500,0001,000,000 Sahalee, Washington
2001 EUR, PGAT Flag of the United States.svg Tiger Woods (3)268−12Playoff Flag of the United States.svg Jim Furyk 5,000,0001,000,000 Firestone, Ohio
2000 EUR, PGAT Flag of the United States.svg Tiger Woods (2)259−2111 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Justin Leonard
Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Phillip Price 		5,000,0001,000,000 Firestone, Ohio
1999 EUR, PGAT Flag of the United States.svg Tiger Woods 270−101 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Phil Mickelson 5,000,0001,000,000 Firestone, 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.

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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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