Time for Tee

Golf enthusiasts at Bridgestone UK say they will have one eye on the lush fairways of Ohio this week when leading global stars contest the World Golf Championships. A strong field at the Bridgestone Invitational event, which tees off at the Firestone Country Club in Akron on Thursday (24 August), includes Vijay Singh, Retief Goosen, Sergio Garcia, Geoff Ogilvy, Luke Donald and Paul Casey. As well as striving to emulate last year’s winner Tiger Woods, many of the American and European participants will also be looking to score valuable ranking points for a starting place in next month’s Ryder Cup.

“The World Golf Championships Bridgestone Invitational is one of the premier events in the global golfing calendar, and there’s a real buzz around Warwick that so many household names are taking part in this year’s tournament,” said Andy Lane, marketing manager at Bridgestone UK.

“You always want to be associated with the best and it gives everyone a lift to know they are linked with a high-profile event of this kind as an employee of the title sponsor. It should be a cracking few days of competition and we’ll be watching with interest to see which player takes the title.”

Bridgestone Corporation recently announced a five-year deal to sponsor the Invitational until 2010. The company is world’s largest manufacturer of rubber products and makes a premium range of golf balls and equipment alongside the tyres for which it is best known.

Other players amongst the 40-strong field vying to become the Bridgestone Invitational champion include Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Darren Clarke, Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley. The winner will be decided after the final round of play on Sunday (27 August).