A little behind schedule but here is our tipster Ian’s verdict for this week.

The Bridgestone Invitational returns once again to the beautiful Firestone country club. It has been described by Phil Mickleson as the best course the pros play on tour. It is a long course that demands accuracy but also requires length. Tiger Woods has won this event seven times which is quite spectacular in itself, which is made even more spectacular by the fact that the Bridgestone Invitational has only been played eleven times. But this week I am going to ignore Woods as a tip as I feel he is not back to his best and that he will find it difficult to compete with some of the other amazing golfers on tour.

Hunter Mahan each way at 40/1

I tipped the man a couple of weeks ago and he ran out of steam going into the weekend but I feel he could well be dangerous this week.  He enjoys Firestone, finishing tied tenth here in 2008 and tied fourth here last year.  His stats also match up with what’s required for the course. He drives the ball at an average of 291 yards. He couples this with driving accuracy of sixty nine percent. Mahan had a slow start to the season and the Ryder Cup will be playing on his mind, which should be an incentive for him to try to play well.

Lee Westwood each way @ 13/1

Slight odds for the Englishman but they could well be justified.  On the European Tour, Westwood knocks the ball off the tee at an average of nearly 290 yards. Despite his accuracy only being just over sixty percent, he can rescue this with his terrific putting. He is clearly a man for the big competitions as he keeps coming close in majors and with over thirty wins worldwide, he is no stranger to victory. Also, he will have his own agenda knowing that Woods and Mickleson aren’t playing great; it could be his time to close in on the world number one spot. Even at 13/1, Westwood looks promising.

Edoardo Molinari each way @ 70/1

The young Italian has been in fantastic form lately, beating a star studded field in Scotland and then maintaining that form and finishing third in Sweden. His stats are as impressive as his win. He hits the ball nearly 299 yards off the tee and has a driving accuracy percentage of 67.5 percent. But this next stat is one of the most impressive anybody will ever hear. Molinari manages to 77.5 percent of greens in regulation. Unfortunately his putting isn’t exactly impressive but if he can get the flat stick working I don’t see why he can’t win this competition. Also, like Mahan, he is looking for a Ryder Cup place. With his brother in the team at the present he would love make it and trust me, brotherly rivalry will motivate you more than anything in this world.

I also took into consideration this week, Francesco Molinari, Boo Weekly and Padraig Harrington but didn’t choose them for different reasons.

There will be more later including videos and my own personal view of who we should be looking out for this week. For now though, it’s 7:40am and I’m getting ready to head off and play the Jack Nicklaus designed Mount Juliet in an open fourball. More updates on my return.