WGC-Bridgestone expert picks: Can Dustin Johnson keep it rolling?
Dustin Johnson, Jason Day and Jordan Spieth headline a great field in Akron, Ohio this week
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2 min read
Let's take a look at this week's contest.
What: WGC-Bridgestone Invitational | Where: Akron, Ohio | When: June 30-July 3
How to watch (all times ET):
TV: Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday from 1:30-6:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 12-1:30 p.m.) and CBS (Saturday and Sunday from 2-6 p.m.)
Online: Saturday and Sunday from 2-6 p.m. on CBSSports.com
Participants and odds
Jason Day: 11-2
Dustin Johnson: 8-1
Jordan Spieth: 10-1
Brooks Koepka: 20-1
Adam Scott: 22-1
Bubba Watson: 22-1
Justin Rose: 22-1
Matt Kuchar: 25-1
Jim Furyk: 25-1
Branden Grace: 28-1
Field strength: A
It's not the best WGC field of the season as a number of European Tour players like Rory McIlroy, Henrik Stenson, Danny Willett and Sergio Garcia all choose to play the French Open instead, but it's still a WGC field and has most of the top 50 guys headed to Firestone. Any time you have Day, Spieth, Johnson, Scott, Watson and Rose in a field it figures to be a good one -- also, Rickie Fowler isn't even a top 10 name on the odds sheet, that's how far he's fallen off.
Story to watch: How will Dustin Johnson handle his first event since becoming a major champion? We've known about Johnson's ability to move on from disappointment at majors in his career, now he's got to figure out how to deal with success.
It seems strange to say, but winning a major can become a bit of a distraction. You become the focal point of attention on the Tour and can get knocked off the normal routine after winning a major. That said, nothing we've ever seen from D.J. over his career has said he's going to be any different on the course or with the media after winning a major, and I think it will be the start of an incredible run from him.
Past winners
2015: Shane Lowry
2014: Rory McIlroy
2013: Tiger Woods
2012: Keegan Bradley
2011: Adam Scott
Tiger Woods has won eight of the 17 WGC events held at Firestone, which is absurd. He's not around and neither is Rory, so we could see some fresh blood take home the trophy on Sunday.
Expert Picks (Robby Kalland)
| Player | Pick | Analysis |
|---|---|---|
 | Winner | Brooks Koepka has been knocking on the door for three weeks with back-to-back runner-up finishes and then a T13 at the U.S. Open. Even in a strong field, I like him to come away with a big win this week. Odds: 20-1 |
 | Top 10 | Dustin Johnson is going to be riding high off his U.S. Open win. I expect him to keep rolling and not let it effect him much. I'm not stepping out on much of a limb here. Odds: 8-1 |
 | Sleeper | Danny Lee played some quality golf early at the U.S. Open before the monster that is Oakmont caught him. I wouldn't be surprised if he is in contention on the weekend -- whether he can stay there through Sunday is a different question. Odds: 90-1 |
Here are my fantasy picks from our CBS Sports Pick 4 Fantasy Golf groups. Some of these are different than above because you aren't picking with odds. It's just straight up, and the players are tiered off.
You can set your Pick 4 Fantasy Golf lineup now to compete for this weekend's $1,000 prize.
