WGC Invitational

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox golf tournament 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.<ref name="ET Winners List">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="PGA Winners List">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The winner received a Wedgwood trophy called The Gary Player Cup.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The 2018 event was the last held in Akron. In 2019, FedEx became the title sponsor and relocated the tournament to Memphis, Tennessee.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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:

• Playing members of the last named Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup teams (whichever was played last).
• Players ranked among the top 50 on the Official World Golf Ranking (one week and two weeks prior to event).
• Tournament winners of worldwide events since the prior year's tournament with an Official World Golf Ranking Strength of Field Rating of 115 points or more.
• The winner of one selected tournament from each of the PGA Tour of Australasia, Sunshine Tour and Asian Tour and two selected tournaments from the Japan Golf Tour.

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

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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;<ref name=ngharws >Template:Cite news</ref> the victory and $100,000 winner's share went to Nicklaus.<ref name=nshdbt>Template:Cite news</ref> 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

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

External links

• Template:Official website
• Coverage on the European Tour's official site