AKRON, Ohio -- It seems like a abroad anamnesis now, but at one point in this clash Webb Simpson had his name aloft the leaderboard. That was afore Simpson followed up his opening-round 64 with a 75 on Friday and a 73 on Saturday. And it was afore Tiger Woods angry aback the alarm and as Luke Donald said, "Lapped the field."
Simpson's not a above name admitting owning a above title, New Era Snapbacks Wholesale acceptable the U.S. Accessible in 2012. And for one day this week, he was assault the best in the apple afore Firestone South got the best of him.
Simpson rebounded Sunday, cutting a 4-under 66 to accomplishment in a tie for 14th abode for the tournament. He eagled the par-5 additional aperture with a 21-foot putt. Afresh he ashore his tee attempt on the par-3 fifth to aural 8 anxiety and formed that putt in for a birdie. Afterwards a bogey on at No. 8, he accursed a cord of birdies on Nos. 10, 11 and 13. He even had a mini-comeback aural the comeback, bogeying Nos. 14 and 17 and afresh convalescent with a 13-foot putt for baboon on 18.
Simpson was bigger than anybody Thursday and was afresh eaten animate Friday and Saturday. He begin some alleviation in taming the barbarian afterwards two canicule of frustrations.
"That's what I capital to do today, just accept a acceptable solid annular traveling into next anniversary and if I could somehow get my aplomb aback from the endure two days, it was a benefit for me," Simpson said. "When you play a golf advance this boxy and play it well, I'm absolutely traveling to apprentice from the bad circuit but draw added from today than anything."
Simpson had had abundant by Saturday night, so he hit the active ambit harder with caddie Paul Tesori. Simpson was missing to the amiss ancillary of the fairway from area he capital to be on a lot of holes.
"We just afflicted my anchor a little bit," he said. "Made it a little weaker. I've been hitting a lot of shots larboard this week. We capital it a little straighter today and we were able to bulk out something big on the range. My misses were right, which is what you want."
POINTS' INSPIRATION
D.A. Credibility didn't accept a abundant clash this week, finishing 10 over par and in a tie for 59th place. But he will not affront too much. Brad is consistently there to admonish him to focus on what's absolutely important.
Back in 2004, a man approached Credibility apprehensive if he ability use a new brawl mark. The man was a ancestor who absent his adolescent son to leukemia. On the brawl mark was a account of his son, Brad, and the inscription "Brad's Battle."
Points has had it with him anytime since, for every annular of clash golf he has played for about a decade except for one day, if he larboard it on his night stand.
"I was so bummed," he said. "But I've had it all the time since."
Brad went through a attempt that no adolescent should anytime accept to yield on and no ancestor should anytime accept to watch. It's reminded Credibility of what's important in life, that sometimes golf isn't as activity or afterlife as he ability think.
"Every already in a while it reminds me that there's a lot added important things than arena golf," he said. "Family, the bloom of ancestors and the bloom of friends. There are a lot of kids traveling through harder stuff. If I'm out there accepting agitated because I three-putt or something, hopefully it helps me put things in angle because it's not the end of the world.
"I'll accept a adventitious to accomplish added putts but Brad didn't accomplish it."
Today, Credibility doesn't allocution abundant with the ancestor who gave him the brawl mark. They haven't backward in blow over the years. But every time he alcove down to band up his putt and set his brawl aback down, he sees Brad and knows aggregate will be OK whether that next putt goes in or not.
Brad is still teaching lessons.
WEEDEN TO BO
Bo Van Pelt and Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden, both Oklahoma State alumni, haven't been able to breach too abutting afresh due to the schedules of each, but endure year Van Pelt was able to appear the Browns' alley bold with the Dallas Cowboys, in which the Browns absent 23-20 in overtime.
"We were at the bold in Dallas, in our Browns gear, acclaim for him and the team," Van Pelt said afterwards his fourth-round 69, which brought him to 1 over for the clash and in a tie for 21st place. "I anticipate they're a acceptable aggregation to watch this year. ... He's got added important things to do than argument aback and alternating with me. But he knows I'm acclaim for him absolute harder just like the blow of the Oklahoma State family."
PHIL AT FIRESTONE
Phil Mickelson still draws one of the bigger crowds about Firestone but hasn't had a lot of success in this clash lately. From 2009 to endure year, he never absurd the top 40, and if not for a fourth-place Sports Snapbacks accomplishment in 2008 wouldn't accept a top-40 accomplishment aback 2003. Mickelson had his best accomplishment on Sunday in years with a 1-over 71 to accomplishment at 1 over for the tournament. That puts him in a tie for 21st, his best accomplishment in the Bridgestone Invitational aback 2002.
It's been asperous going, but Mickelson still says he loves advancing to Akron for this tournament.
"I've consistently enjoyed arena here, and aboriginal in my career I had a lot of success and backward in my career I've not had success here," Mickelson said. "But it has not afflicted the way I feel about the advance and the tournament. It's just a admirable aboveboard analysis of golf."
Mickelson couldn't absolutely put his feel on why he has struggled at Firestone for the accomplished several years.
"I adore the challenge, and I don't accept a abundant acumen as to why I haven't played able-bodied the endure eight, ten years, but I wasn't as aciculate this anniversary as I bare to be, as I charge to be next week," he said.
FIRESTONE STATS
Here's a full-tournament attending at how Firestone Country Club was played during the Bridgestone and some of the highlights of the tournament, as apparent by the PGA Tour's ShotLink system.
Longest drive: One of the affidavit abounding association leave the advance in awe anniversary year. In the 10 years afore this week, there had been 51 drives of 400 yards or added but no one could ability that mark this year. The longest drive of the anniversary belongs to Nicholas Colsaerts' 390-yard bomb on the par-5 16th on Friday. Colsaerts aswell has the longest drive that didn't yield abode on the 16th, a 372-yarder on Friday on No. 8. Bubba Watson led the acreage in boilerplate active ambit with 331.9 yards-per-drive. Colsaerts and Rory McIlroy anniversary angry for additional with an boilerplate of 320 yards. Woods was sixth at 315 yards.
The Monster: The four longest drives and six of the top seven took abode on Firestone's signature hole, the 16th. Tiger Woods had the second-longest drive at 379 yards, aswell on Friday. In fact, Friday was absolutely the abandoned day to see the players go continued off the tee - the top 26 drives by ambit were all Friday.
Driving accuracy: Miguel A. Jimenez and Zach Johnson were the a lot of authentic off the tee, anniversary hitting the fairway 71.4 percent of the time. Woods was 11th at 62.5 percent.
Longest putt: Graeme McDowell agape in a putt from 71 feet, 3 inches on the par-4 14th, authoritative it the additional longest in the Bridgestone Invitational in the accomplished 11 years. Abandoned David Toms' 71-foot, eight-inch putt in 2005 beats it. Bubba Watson, commonly accepted for his breadth off the tee, formed one in from 70 feet, 5 inches on Thursday on the third hole.
Fewest putts: McIlroy was on the blooming the beeline bulk of time, averaging a field-best 26.25 putts per round. Luke Donald and Webb Simpson (each at 26.75 putts) angry for second.
Closest to pin: To no surprise, Woods had the beeline boilerplate putting distance, 25 feet, 8 inches. Jim Furyk was additional with an boilerplate of 27-7. Woods was additional in greens in adjustment allotment (73.6 percent) to Keegan Bradley's 75 percent.
BRIDGESTONE BLACKOUT
About three actor humans didn't get to see Tiger Woods and his acclaimed "Sunday Red" on the course. Instead, they were blacked out, the accessory accident of a altercation over rights fees amid Time Warner Cable and CBS. Barter in New York, Los Angeles and several added markets were clumsy to see the third and fourth circuit of the Bridgestone Invitational (or Firestone or Akron) and at the moment will not be able to see next week's PGA Championship at Oak Hill.
PGA Bout Commissioner Tim Finchem said Sunday that he's hopeful a resolution can be accomplished by afresh but wouldn't animadversion further.
"Well, some of them (the blacked-out customers) will watch it on Simulcast, but I don't wish to animadversion about the issues complex in that negotiation," Finchem said. "Obviously from our angle and added sports that are agitated on CBS, I'd like to see it bound and we achievement it will be, but I don't accept any abundant advice on absolutely area they are, so I couldn't speculate. It's just that we achievement they get it resolved."
19TH HOLE
Luke Donald accomplished 4 beneath for the clash and in a tie for ninth place. It's his fifth top-10 accomplishment in nine starts in the Bridgestone. ... Jason Dufner alveolate his additional top-10 accomplishment in as abounding starts at 6 under, which puts him in a tie for fourth. He accomplished seventh endure year. ... Chris Wood was http://cartocap.webspawner.com/ the accomplished finisher a part of first-time players in the Bridgestone, acceding seventh (5 under).
Webb Simpson, first-round leader, rallies to acclimatized Firestone on Sunday