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.

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

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Year Tour(s)[a] Winner Score To par Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up Purse ($) Winner's
share ($)
Venue
WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational
2021 EUR, PGAT   Abraham Ancer 264 −16 Playoff   Sam Burns
  Hideki Matsuyama
10,500,000 1,820,000 Southwind, Tennessee
2020 EUR, PGAT   Justin Thomas (2) 267 −13 3 strokes   Daniel Berger
  Brooks Koepka
  Tom Lewis
  Phil Mickelson
10,500,000 1,785,000 Southwind, Tennessee
2019 EUR, PGAT   Brooks Koepka 264 −16 3 strokes   Webb Simpson 10,250,000 1,745,000 Southwind, Tennessee
WGC-Bridgestone Invitational
2018 EUR, PGAT   Justin Thomas 265 −15 4 strokes   Kyle Stanley 10,000,000 1,700,000 Firestone, Ohio
2017 EUR, PGAT   Hideki Matsuyama 264 −16 5 strokes   Zach Johnson 9,750,000 1,660,000 Firestone, Ohio
2016 PGAT[b]   Dustin Johnson 274 −6 1 stroke   Scott Piercy 9,500,000 1,620,000 Firestone, Ohio
2015 EUR, PGAT   Shane Lowry 269 −11 2 strokes   Bubba Watson 9,250,000 1,570,000 Firestone, Ohio
2014 EUR, PGAT   Rory McIlroy 265 −15 2 strokes   Sergio García 9,000,000 1,500,000 Firestone, Ohio
2013 EUR, PGAT   Tiger Woods (8) 265 −15 7 strokes   Keegan Bradley
  Henrik Stenson
8,750,000 1,500,000 Firestone, Ohio
2012 EUR, PGAT   Keegan Bradley 267 −13 1 stroke   Jim Furyk
  Steve Stricker
8,500,000 1,400,000 Firestone, Ohio
2011 EUR, PGAT   Adam Scott 263 −17 4 strokes   Luke Donald
  Rickie Fowler
8,500,000 1,400,000 Firestone, Ohio
2010 EUR, PGAT   Hunter Mahan 268 −12 2 strokes   Ryan Palmer 8,500,000 1,400,000 Firestone, Ohio
2009 EUR, PGAT   Tiger Woods (7) 268 −12 4 strokes   Robert Allenby
  Pádraig Harrington
8,500,000 1,400,000 Firestone, Ohio
2008 EUR, PGAT   Vijay Singh 270 −10 1 stroke   Stuart Appleby
  Lee Westwood
8,000,000 1,350,000 Firestone, Ohio
2007 EUR, PGAT   Tiger Woods (6) 272 −8 8 strokes   Justin Rose
  Rory Sabbatini
8,000,000 1,350,000 Firestone, Ohio
2006 EUR, PGAT   Tiger Woods (5) 270 −10 Playoff   Stewart Cink 7,500,000 1,300,000 Firestone, Ohio
WGC-NEC Invitational
2005 EUR, PGAT   Tiger Woods (4) 274 −6 1 stroke   Chris DiMarco 7,500,000 1,300,000 Firestone, Ohio
2004 EUR, PGAT   Stewart Cink 269 −11 4 strokes   Rory Sabbatini
  Tiger Woods
7,000,000 1,200,000 Firestone, Ohio
2003 EUR, PGAT   Darren Clarke 268 −12 4 strokes   Jonathan Kaye 6,000,000 1,050,000 Firestone, Ohio
2002 EUR, PGAT   Craig Parry 268 −16 4 strokes   Robert Allenby
  Fred Funk
5,500,000 1,000,000 Sahalee, Washington
2001 EUR, PGAT   Tiger Woods (3) 268 −12 Playoff   Jim Furyk 5,000,000 1,000,000 Firestone, Ohio
2000 EUR, PGAT   Tiger Woods (2) 259 −21 11 strokes   Justin Leonard
  Phillip Price
5,000,000 1,000,000 Firestone, Ohio
1999 EUR, PGAT   Tiger Woods 270 −10 1 stroke   Phil Mickelson 5,000,000 1,000,000 Firestone, Ohio

Notes

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  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

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  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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